Tea's Time to Shine!
by MagicmanSmokegirl
Summary: When Pegasus throws an all-girls Duellist Kingdom tournament, Tea sees it as an opportunity to test out her new deck (and maybe get closer to the Yugster). But there's some tough competition on Duellist Island. Can she go all the way?
1. It's time to SIGN UP!

Tea's Time to Shine  
  
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh and its characters are property of Kazuki Takahashi. I think. Not me, at any rate.  
  
Magicman: Welcome to my new story! It's Tea-friendly, so Tea-bashers beware. You can read it if you want, but I don't want to hear any whining. I've messed with the timeline so that it takes place some time after Battle City, though it won't play any real role in it.  
  
Tea: Ah yes. A story about my dueling accomplishments. You don't see many of those.  
  
Joey: It's no surprise, seeing as you suck at it.  
  
Tea: SHUT UP!  
  
Pegasus: *sigh* I have a feeling that this is going to get epic.  
  
Smokegirl: Come on people. Get to me!  
  
Magicman: Yes Smokegirl. My evil side Smokegirl plays the part of Zev Crawford, an original character and nasty duellist.  
  
Smokegirl: Alright! With me around, expect some serious trashing! But in the meantime, go ahead and read.  
  
Magicman: Hey! That's my line!  
  
Smokegirl: Whatever. Oh, and the first person to call me 'Yami-Magicman' will be skinned, rolled in salt, and bombarded by radiation!  
  
All: O_O'  
  
***  
  
"Come on! What are yah doing, pantsing yourself?! Get up and fight! Yeah, that's it! Show him what for, you- NO! Don't you dare fall! Don't you DARE fall!!! ARRRGGGHHH!!!" Joey clutched his head and moaned in anguish as his duellist of choice lost brutally on the TV screen.  
  
Tristan patted his friend consolingly on the back. "Oh there there. Look at it this way: it's not every day that you lose twenty dollars to me."  
  
"Tristan!" Joey grabbed his smirking colleague's collar and lifted him clear off of the ground. "One more word and you'll be losing a lot more than money!"  
  
"My virginity maybe?"  
  
"ARRGGHH!!!"  
  
Yami dubiously watched the friends fight. The gang was in the backrooms of the Turtle Game shop, where they usually hung out. Joey and Tristan were having yet another exchange of ideas, which was so unsurprising that their friendship was surprising.  
  
"Yugi are you sure that they're friends?"  
  
Yugi looked up from his 'City Hunter' manga. "Oh yeah. Tea once explained it to me. This is just how they show each other that they care."  
  
"Ow! Let go of my arm!"  
  
Yami glanced at Yugi. "Well I hope that they don't care about me that much." His light side laughed to hear his own words.  
  
The door opened and the rest of their little gang entered the room. A smiling and cheerful Ryou Bakura stepped into the room with a happy, "Hey chaps!" followed behind by his Yami bickering with Tea.  
  
"Look Gardner" Bakura snarled, "If you really want to humiliate yourself in front of thousands of people then be my guest. I won't stop you. In fact, I'll help you!"  
  
Tea was not happy with this. "Who says I'll lose?"  
  
"Do you even have to ask? You barely even know the rules of the game!"  
  
Suddenly a cunning smile spread across Tea's face. "Oh really?" she said in a singsong sort of voice.  
  
This was a typical Saturday afternoon since the Battle City incident. After that mess, Shaddi finally caught up to Yami-Bakura, having discovered that it was he who had stolen the Millennium Eye. To make sure that he could never get away with stealing the items again, the guardian of the Millennium Items split Ryou and Bakura apart and returned each of the Items to their original owners. At Yami's request, he also split up the Pharoah and Yugi to minimise the inconvenience to Yugi's lifestyle. After some initial confusion at certain samples of technology, they adjusted rather well, particularly Bakura who wasn't evil and psychotic anymore.  
  
"Wipe that grin off your face woman, or it's the Shadowrealm for you!"  
  
Well, less evil and psychotic anyway.  
  
"So Ryou" Yugi asked while the others bickered, "What's new?"  
  
Ryou shrugged. "I really don't know. Tea wanted to tell us something but she insisted on waiting for us to get here."  
  
"Really?" Yugi looked over at Tea and Bakura, who had gone toe to toe and were insulting each other. "I wouldn't want to interrupt just now. I value life."  
  
Yami snorted and watched the two fighting. More specifically, he was watching Tea.  
  
He had always thought that Tea was beautiful, even back when she didn't really know he existed. She was the only one of Yugi's friends to make the guess that there was more to his puzzle than met the eye. Later, when the pharaoh had gotten to know her better, he found himself attracted to her, mentally and physically. Yami had never said anything before because he'd been a guest in Yugi's body then, and he'd strongly suspected him of having feelings for the brunette dance. But now...what? It was something they'd have to discuss.  
  
"Hey guys! What's up?"  
  
Joey's finally noticing and greeting Tea and the other two snapped Yami out of his reverie. The friends (and Bakura) greeted each other happily (and sulkily) enough. Seeing that the fight was over, Yugi decided to step in.  
  
"So Tea" he began, "What was it that you wanted to tell us?"  
  
Tea opened her mouth but-  
  
"Hey! Mai's on TV!"  
  
Curious, the gang crowded around the glass box.  
  
Mai Valentine was indeed on the screen. She stood, looking strong, resolute, and beautiful as tough-sounding music played. Then she faded slowly and another girl appeared, this one wearing a sinister smile. Then she too faded away and words rushed at the screen.  
  
Yami read them out loud. "Duellist Kingdom 2. This time it's the girls' turn."  
  
The screen changed, showing the famous/infamous Maximillian Pegasus. The multi-billionaire was seated on a cushioned chair near a roaring fire, holding a glass of fruit juice. He beamed at the camera, his silvery hair glimmering in the light.  
  
"Hello viewers" he began cheerily. "What you are watching is a promotion. If you do not like Duel Monsters, then I urge you to go to the washroom."  
  
Joey rolled his eyes at Tristan and Yugi exchanged glances with Ryou. But Yami and Tea were watching intently.  
  
"This year, on the third anniversary of my Duellist Kingdom tournament, I will be hosting the greatest Duel Monsters tournament anew!" Pegasus spread his arms wide for effect. "Same rules as last time apply. You receive two star chips and must wager them one each duel. If, and only if, you gain ten chips you will be allowed access to my castle, where the finals will be held. There, the best will compete for a prize of three million dollars and..." Here Pegasus shifted slightly to reveal a small display case, "...this complete set of Exodia, the Forbidden one."  
  
Joey whistled.  
  
"As for the duels themselves, they also will be fought be last event's rules. That means only 2000 lifepoints and no sacrifices are necessary to summon high level monsters."  
  
"Last tournament, I was rather disappointed at the lack of female participation" Pegasus continued, "So this year only female duellists are allowed to enter."  
  
"What?!" Joey and Tristan fell off of the couch while Ryou blinked in surprise. Bakura snorted and Yugi and Yami's eyes turned to Tea.  
  
"If you wish to enter Duellist Kingdom then just apply at any of these locations" Pegasus finished up as a list of names and businesses scrolled by. "Remember, there's only room for eight Duellists in the finals. But if you wish, you may bring up to two non-duelling guests on this all-expenses-paid trip. And always remember to have a good time! This is Maximillian Pegasus, signing out!"  
  
The screen faded to black on Pegasus' smiling visage. There was only silence in the aftermath until Ryou voiced the obvious.  
  
"A duelling tournament for girls? I've never heard of the like."  
  
"I wish I could come" Tristan beamed, stars showing in his eyes at the thought of so many women. Joey glared at him in disgust. Then he turned to Tea.  
  
"So, what with that out of the way, what did you want to say Tea?"  
  
Tea opened her mouth to talk but Bakura butted in. "Do you even have to ask? The girl has delusions about entering!"  
  
Tea whirled on the smirking spirit. "Don't you ever shut up?! You don't hear me insulting your duelling!"  
  
"That's because I don't suck at it!"  
  
"Oh yeah? Then how come you never seem to win? You've lost to Yugi, Yami, Marik...Need I go on?" Tea snorted scornfully. "How did you ever manage to survive back in wherever it is you came from?"  
  
Bakura flushed an angry red and raised his fist slightly. "I don't have to take this from you girl!" There was a flash of light. When it dissipated, Bakura was gone.  
  
Ryou sighed in relief. "He's gone back into the ring." He looked curiously at his female friend. "Was he right Tea? Are you signing up?"  
  
Slightly embarrassed, Tea didn't speak for a few seconds. Then she slowly reached into her purse and pulled out a duelling gauntlet with two star chips inserted into the slots.  
  
The shocked silence was broken only by laughter. "What's so funny Joey?" Tea asked defensively.  
  
Joey had been trying to keep a straight face but failed. He grinned helplessly. "It's just that I never really pictured you as a duellist! You're always the one who cheers on the duellists, not who duels herself."  
  
"That doesn't mean that I can't duel."  
  
"Maybe not, but you sure didn't get any practice on the sidelines. I can't see why you'd join a tournament like this; losing isn't all that fun."  
  
"Well maybe you don't have any faith in me but I do!" Tea snapped. Furious, she whirled and stormed from the game shop.  
  
Joey looked after her, clueless. "What did I say?"  
  
Yugi clapped his hand to his forehead as Yami groaned at Joey's idiocy. "Don't you think that you were unnecessarily mean to Tea?"  
  
"You think so?"  
  
"Yes Joey. This obviously means a lot to her. You don't need to go slagging her like that! Geez, you can be so dense sometimes!" Grumbling to himself, Yugi hurried from the room, after his friend.  
  
"You should be a little more sensitive sometimes Joey" Yami admonished, and he followed his lighter side.  
  
Joey groaned. "Aw man! How do I manage to get people mad at me like this?"  
  
"Well-" Ryou began.  
  
"Ah shut up!"  
  
Meanwhile, Tristan remained in his fantasy of girls.  
  
***  
  
Yami caught up with Yugi and they hurried after Tea together. The girl was storming down the sidewalk ahead of them, but she slowed after a while to catch her breath.  
  
"What does he know," she grumbled. "That jerk. That arrogant, bull- headed, simple, snotty-"  
  
"I sure hope that's not us you're talking about."  
  
Tea jumped. Then she turned to her pursuers, hiding a blush. "Hi guys" she said cheerfully. "I was just-"  
  
"Letting off steam?" Yami finished for her.  
  
"Yeah." Tea sighed and stretched against a nearby lamppost. "I'm sorry for bursting out of there like that. He just-"  
  
"Made you so mad that you could explode?" Yugi suggested helpfully.  
  
Tea smiled. "Yeah. How do you do that? Guess what I'm feeling, I mean."  
  
The spiky-haired ones gave each other a wink. "Oh we just do," they chorused.  
  
They all laughed for a few moments. Afterward, seeing that they were drawing stares from some random passers by, they continued on. Yami and Yugi each walked to one side of Tea as they all talked.  
  
"So Tea" Yugi piped up, "Why did you sign up for Pegasus' tournament? I never knew that you really liked duelling."  
  
"I was tired of being left out of group activities! I mean most of our gang of friends is seriously into duelling. You two have won several tournaments, Joey competed in Battle City and Duellist Kingdom, Bakura's got that psycho-zombie deck, Mai's the Harpy queen, and even Tristan is starting to get into it! You can only take so much before you start to feel left out. So I've been working on a duelling deck for the past few months. I think it's getting pretty good."  
  
"A deck?" Yami's eyes lit up as Tea mentioned the word 'deck'. "May I see it?"  
  
"Sure!" Tea handed her deck to Yami, who loved nothing more than to root through Duel Monsters cards. "I've been meaning to ask you guys to go over it with me, but I was kind of waiting to tell you about it." She leaned over to watch Yami rifle through, and Yugi joined her shortly.  
  
The three stood, huddling over the cards for some minutes, pausing every now and then to argue some card's worth.  
  
"Where did you get some of these, Tea?" Yugi asked, staring at the holographic Marie the Fallen One. "Some of these are really rare."  
  
Tea blushed again and scratched the back of her head. "Well, I've been spending a lot of time at Duke Devlin's shop. It was supposed to be a surprise, after all."  
  
Yugi grumbled to himself about how lucky Duke was to get to spend time with her. Yami, still flipping through cards, smiled but Tea misunderstood. "I'm sorry Yugi! I didn't want to hurt your Grandpa's feelings."  
  
Yugi smiled. "Oh no, it's not that. It's just...well, never mind."  
  
Yami interrupted the awkward moment by handing back Tea's deck. "It looks good to me Tea. But you'll never know until you duel with it. Unless of course you've thought of that too?"  
  
Tea's laugh sent shivers of pleasure down the light and dark's spines. They also noticed this. They would definitely have to talk about Tea.  
  
"I was wondering something. Would you guys want to come with me? You know, to the tournament? Pegasus said I could bring a couple friends and all, and you guys are. My friends, I mean. And you like duelling too so you might like to come. Besides, Mai said she was taking Joey, and he'll get lonely if you don't. Come, that is, and-"  
  
Yami put a finger to Tea's lips, cutting off her babbling. He looked at Yugi for a second. "Huddle!"  
  
The two turned and put their heads together, whispering furiously for several seconds while Tea just kind of stared. Then Yugi shouted "Break!" and they turned back, identical smiles on their faces. "We'd love to!" they said in unison.  
  
Tea grinned happily, bringing a warm rush to their chests. "Thanks you guys!" She hugged them both, throwing an arm around each neck.  
  
This was going to be an interesting trip.  
  
***  
  
Tea: So Yami and Yugi like me, but do I like them?  
  
Magicman: You know how much I despise broken hearts.  
  
Joey: Is that a yes?  
  
Magicman: I can not divulge that information.  
  
Tea&Joey: *roll their eyes*  
  
Smokegirl: OOH! OOH! Did you see me? I appeared in this chapter! Did you see me?  
  
Pegasus: I thought you'd be introduced in the next chapter.  
  
Smokegirl: I am, but I was in this chapter for a brief moment.  
  
Magicman: At any rate, this is my newest story. I hope you readers like it. Review, if you please. It takes so little time after all. 


	2. And over on the left, we'll see some new...

Tea's Time to Shine  
  
Magicman: Wow! Numerous rave reviews for my first chapter. It's always nice to be appreciated. Thank you all.  
  
Tea: I have fans? Cool!  
  
Joey: I'm happy because I have a bag of chips! *Munches on the chips*  
  
Tea: -_- Well that was rather mundane.  
  
Smokegirl: *reads the review to 'Yami-Magicman' and her eyes go red* What did I say about calling me Yami-Magicman?!?!  
  
Magicman: Uh oh. Hey Smokegirl! Kaiba just called you a Marik-wannabe again!  
  
Smokegirl: WHAT?! Oh that's IT!  
  
(Smokegirl runs off and Magicman sighs in relief.)  
  
Magicman: So with that out of the way, just sit right back and leave the magic to me!  
  
Pegasus: It's about time! *Sips his fruit juice*  
  
***  
  
Tea looked up at the cruise liner, slightly awed. It was even bigger than the ship that brought Yugi and company to Duellist Kingdom for his epic match against Pegasus himself. Ticket holders and ticket gatherers swarmed the pier and entered the great ship over a gangplank. Despite its great size, the ship bobbed lightly in the water, its hull gleaming in the late afternoon sun. All in all, it was an impressive sight.  
  
"Wow. It certainly is a big boat."  
  
Tea rolled her eyes and smiled at the mundane comment. She turned and looked back at her lagging companions. "Come on guys! We don't want to be late for the cast off."  
  
"Go easy on us Tea!" Ryou panted as he lugged his suitcase along. "We do have quite a lot of luggage to carry."  
  
"And who's fault might that be? As you can see, everything I need is right here in my knapsack." Tea gestured to her pack.  
  
Yugi groaned as he lugged along his stuff. Tea had thought that inviting Yugi and Ryou to come with her to the tournament would make things easier, since they could both bring their Yami's packed in their respective Millennium Items. (Bakura hadn't wanted to come, but Ryou pointed out that he could not cook and had no access to funds with which to purchase food). Unfortunately for the light sides, this meant that they had to pack for two people, instead of just one. The strain of dragging belongings for two was a little hard on the back muscles.  
  
'Come on Yami!' Yugi groaned mentally. 'Can't you come out and lend a hand?'  
  
'I'm afraid not Yugi'. The Pharoah sounded amused. Tea's only aloud to bring two guests. I'd be a third wheel. Literally.'  
  
'I'll get you for this Yami' Yugi grumbled.  
  
While her companions toiled, Tea's mind was awhirl with thoughts and plans and strategies. In spite of her tough talk to Bakura, she was nervous out of her mind about this tournament. She didn't have any special reason for duelling like Yugi or Joey, and a lot of these duellists had way more experience than her.  
  
'What would Yugi and Yami say about this?' She pondered. 'Yugi would just say to do my best and it'll all work out, and Yami would probably say something mystical and inspiring to raise my confidence. Either way, they'd both be such sweeties about it.' She sighed. 'If only...'  
  
"Tea? Are you alright?"  
  
Blinking quickly, Tea smiled at Yugi. "Oh, I'm just a little nervous. This is my first tournament and all."  
  
Yugi smiled back. "Well, if you just play your best and have fun there's no reason to worry. I'm sure that you'll do great!" He paused and seemed to listen to someone. "Yami says 'if you know yourself and believe in your skills then you're halfway to the Duellist Kingdom finals already.'"  
  
Tea smiled again. "You two are such great friends."  
  
Yugi blushed slightly and was rather grateful for Ryou's interruption.  
  
"Excuse me mates," he said in his loveable British accent, "But it seems that the ticket collectors are headed this way."  
  
And so they were. One, a young man with a smiled plastered on his face, held out his hand. "Tickets and registration please" he asked pleasantly. Tea handed him her boat ticket and showed off her duelling gauntlet. "Very good Miss" he continued, still pleasantly. Tea started to wonder if this guy was a robot or something. "Are these two your guests for the trip? Yes? Then I'll just stamp them and you can be on your way. Have a good time at Duellist Kingdom!" The man stamped Ryou and Yugi's left hands with a purple stamper, before going off to bug some other young people.  
  
Ryou looked dubiously at the picture of the stamp. "I'm not sure that I like the idea of going around with a purple Millennium Eye on my hand."  
  
"Well at least you're allowed to come with me now. Or are you?" Tea looked troubled. "You two may have been stamped, but your Yami's aren't."  
  
"Actually Tea, while Yami's in the Puzzle, what happens to me happens to him" Yugi reassured.  
  
Tea looked relieved. "Well in that case, all aboard!"  
  
The trio boarded the cruise ship with ease, especially since a couple of porters had taken their bags to their rooms. Ryou picked up a map of the ship and stared at it studiously. 'This makes no sense!' he wondered to himself. 'We're on the deck, but this thing says that we're in the hold!'  
  
From within the Ring, Bakura snorted. 'You're holding it upside down, idiot!'  
  
'...Oh.'  
  
'Bah! I'm exploring this place on my own!'  
  
'Okay' Ryou agreed as his Item began to glow. 'But don't do anything that would get you thrown overboard.' Bakura sent him the image of a raised middle finger, just before forming on the deck. Luckily, nobody was watching.  
  
"Let me know if the girl comes to her senses so we can go home" Bakura growled to Yugi. "If not then leave me alone!" Then he stalked across the deck to disappear behind a corner.  
  
Tea frowned in the direction that Bakura took. "He can sure ruin a pleasant moment."  
  
***  
  
At Ryou's guidance, they eventually made it to the centre of the ship. Or, more appropriately called, the duellists' territory.  
  
The room was quite large, and contained everything that gathered duellists would need. A washroom was off to the side, a snack bar was snugged into a corner, and there were tables and chairs, and even a big duel platform in the centre of the room. As a matter of fact, it was the duelling platform that caught Tea's attention first.  
  
The duel in progress seemed slightly one sided on the surface. Looking deeper, though, it was fairly even. One duelist, a blonde-haired girl had four Scapegoats and a Millennium Shield in defence mode with two cards face down. She had 1200 lifepoints left. Her opponent, whose turn it was, had two cards facedown and all of her lifepoints with two Giant Soldiers of Stone in defence mode.  
  
Yugi took one look at the girl with the soldiers and pulled a double take. "What in the world?"  
  
Tea looked down at her friend. "What's wrong Yugi?"  
  
"Yami just said that she's the girl from the commercial!"  
  
They turned their attention back to the duel, where the girl was laughing. "Alright girlie" she sneered with a smirk on her face, "It's been fun but I think I'll finish you off right now!"  
  
"Why don't you back up your threats!"  
  
"With pleasure!" The girl from the TV slapped down a card. "I play Dark Ruler Ha Des in attack mode!"  
  
The holo-computer read the new data and produced the image. The mighty demon king, clad in splendid robes and a horned crown, arose from the depths of a black holographic hole to glare his evil at the opponent.  
  
"But wait! There's more! Now I'll play Puppet Magic of Dark Ruler, sacrificing my Giant Soldiers to bring back Summoned Skull from the Graveyard!"  
  
Dark Ruler dangled his hands and strings shot out from the ends to dangle into the great black pit. The strings caught onto something in the depths of the darkness. Ha Des pulled and hauled out the Summoned Skull, looking as cruel and evil as its master.  
  
"Next I'll summon Dark Necrofear in attack mode, by pulling three monsters from my Graveyard!" The blue demon appeared next to its larger brethren. "And this magic card, Monster Reborn will allow me to return Beast of Talwar!" The sword-wielding monster materialized next to the growing mob of darkness and evil. "And finally, Premature Burial will allow me to bring back my Beast of Gilfur, at the bargain price of 800 lifepoints!" A smaller, black demon crawled from the ground to take the final slot on the girl's monster field, as her lifepoints dropped to 1200. She smirked evilly at her opponent. "Scared yet?"  
  
"Not even a little." Despite the bold words, she did indeed look a little nervous. "You may have five monsters but they can't penetrate my Millennium Shield!"  
  
If anything, the smile turned even eviller. "That's why I have this! My Raigeki will blast your monsters to scrap!"  
  
As she lay the card down, light gathered in the sky above her opponent's field. "That light will soon strike, eliminating all your monsters from the field!"  
  
"Not if I have anything to say about it! I activate Magic Jammer!"  
  
"Not so fast! My Seven Tools of the Bandit will disable you Magic Jammer!"  
  
"Then my Solemn Judgement will end this chain of effects once and for all, leaving my monsters unharmed!"  
  
Yugi, Yami (who'd come out when Dark Ruler had been summoned) and Tea all stared at the flurry of magic and traps that crackled and flashed across the field. "This is way intense" Tea murmured.  
  
By the time Solemn Judgement's effect brought them all back to square one, the blonde girl had all her monsters left, no facedown cards, and 600 lifepoints for Solemn Judgement, whereas her opponent with the demons had one card facedown, and 200 lifepoints after feeding her Seven Tools of the Bandit. The blonde sighed in relief.  
  
"Well it looks like I've pulled through your little storm. And what do you have to show for it? Nothing! I hope you're happy."  
  
Demon girl only stood and smiled. "Yes, as a matter of fact I am."  
  
"You see" she continued, "You've been very entertaining. This is actually my favourite part of the duel. The part where you've exhausted your defences and have nothing left to stop me. Yes, you really did fall into my trap. It feels so fulfilling when a plan comes together. So anyway, you, my little bitch, are going down." Demon girl flipped up her remaining facedown card. "This magic card is my personal favourite. It's called Tribute to the Doomed, and it lets me destroy one of your monsters at the cost of discarding one card from my hand." She laughed maniacally as great mummy bandages tore through the floor of the field. Relentlessy, they wrapped around the Millennium Shield and dragged it off to the graveyard.  
  
Yugi whistled. "Wow! She's good!"  
  
Yami nodded sagely. "Yes. She played all those cards just to get her opponent to waste her defences. I'm glad that we didn't have to face her anytime."  
  
"So I have to instead," Tea said softly.  
  
Demon girl was dancing in her booth now. One by one, she ordered four of her demons to wipeout the Scapegoats, until her Dark Ruler Ha Des was all that remained.  
  
"And this, bitch" she said, smiling cruelly all the while, "Is what you get when you mess with me. Now Dark Ruler" her voice rose to a frenzied pitch, "Finish her off for good! Black Magic Strike!"  
  
The monster clapped its hands together, a ball of impenetrable darkness forming. The very air hummed with power as the ball grew in size and strength. As the humming reached a fevered pitch, the demon king of the underworld hurled the black ball of frothing, surging magic directly at the lifepoints of the hapless blonde girl.  
  
And above the scream of the attack's energy came a wild cackle of sadistic glee.  
  
***  
  
"Well I'll be damned. Tea Gardner actually decided to enter!"  
  
Tea was suddenly grabbed from behind and nougied by a familiar voice. "Mai! Cut it out! Ow!"  
  
The tough blonde laughed and released her friend. She grinned as Tea straightened and tried to fix her hair. "I just got this hair the way I like it," she grumbled.  
  
Mai laughed again. "Then you shouldn't have turned your back!"  
  
While Tea was regaining her dignity, Yugi moved to talk with Mai. "Hi Mai!" he said cheerfully. "I didn't know that you entered."  
  
"Hey, I'm not getting left out of a tournament like this!" she preened.  
  
"There's a lot of competition here," Yami noted, looking about at the multitude of female duelists. "I wasn't aware that there were this many girl duellists."  
  
Mai waved a finger at Yami. "Just because you can't see the female element doesn't mean that it's not affecting the world. The sign of a good house is that it stays clean without evidence of the housekeepers."  
  
Yami looked confused. "I'll take your word for it."  
  
Tea, her hair back in order, rejoined her friends minus Ryou, who had gone wandering the hall. "So who did you bring with you Mai?"  
  
Mai's face split into a grin. "Do you have to ask? Oh Joseph!"  
  
Joey, still dragging his duffle bag approached the group. "Hey Mai, have you seen Serenity? She- Tea!"  
  
Much to Mai's annoyance, Joey ignored her and turned to his brunette friend, a serious expression on his face. "Look Tea, I'm sorry. I said some mean things to you that aren't even true, and if they are they don't matter! You can just do your best like Yug and I do, and-"  
  
Tea smiled as Joey rambled on. "You may be a total dunce sometimes Joey, but you've got a good heart. Don't worry; all is forgiven."  
  
"Yah really mean it? Alright!" Joey danced around for a few seconds before turning back to Mai. "Yo, Mai. Have you seen Serenity? I've been looking for her."  
  
Mai waved a hand casually. "Oh let her be Joseph. She'll be fine."  
  
Reluctantly, Joey agreed.  
  
Mai caught Tea by the arm and started to drag her off. "Lets catch some girl time, Tea."  
  
"Whoa! There's no need to pull!"  
  
Yugi smiled at Tea's protestations then turned to Joey. "So Mai invited you and Serenity to go to the island with her?"  
  
Joey smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Well it's a chance to get out and see the world."  
  
"Are you sure that's all it is?" Yami asked slyly, causing Joey to blush.  
  
"No way! Hey, are you implying that there's anything between me and Mai?!"  
  
"Who said anything about Mai?"  
  
"Well...I..."  
  
Yugi rolled his eyes and looked reproachfully at Yami. The darker side merely raised an eyebrow meaningfully. Seeing a decidedly lack of remorse, Yugi changed the subject. "So, did you see the duel earlier? That duellist from the commercial was there."  
  
Joey stopped stammering and began to look serious. "You mean the one with the grey hair? Yeah, she was there. Man, she gave me the creeps!" He shuddered. "She really enjoys crushing other duellists, you know? She reminded me of that eliminator from last time, Panik."  
  
Yugi shivered and Yami looked grim. They both remembered the deadly duel in the dark for Mai's star chips. Though Panik had fallen prey to his own tactics, it had been a chillingly close call.  
  
"The weird thing" Joey continued, "Is that I've heard of her before."  
  
"Say what?" That got both of his listeners' attention.  
  
"Yeah. I hang out in card shops a lot and I hear all of these rumours. One of them was about this creepy girl. Apparently she's pretty well known, but not in a good way, if you catch my meaning. She's about as famous as Mai is." He looked around before leaning in conspiratorially. "I even hear that those two have got history together."  
  
Yugi cocked his head, puzzlement written across his face. "What do you mean history?"  
  
"I don't know. But they're sure not friends."  
  
While the boys were whispering conspiratorially to each other, Mai was talking to Tea about things.  
  
"So now that you've gotten a look at the competition, what do you think?" Mai asked.  
  
Tea considered. "Well" she said at length, "It's a bit overwhelming."  
  
"Ah yes. The 'overwhelming' phase." She threw an arm around Tea's shoulder. "Kid, that'll last just as long as the first time you inflict damage on someone's lifepoints."  
  
Tea rolled her eyes. Kid indeed. "You may have been around the world a lot more, but you're not that much older than me."  
  
"We'll see in the duelling arena, won't we?"  
  
"We certainly will." To change the subject, Tea brought up something she'd been wondering for a while now. "So, who would you say is the toughest of the competition around here?" she asked, scanning the area. "There sure is a lot of it."  
  
Mai sobered up as she considered the request. "That's a good question Tea," She said slowly. "There're a lot of tough duellists out there who could beat you pretty easily. But there's only a few who'll be able to destroy you. And She's one of them." Mai looked at her friend with hooded eyes. "She's one of the best duellists I've ever faced, and I've tangled with the best."  
  
A bit surprised at Mai's seriousness, Tea looked into her eyes. They were slightly darkened with the severity of the situation. "You mean she's here on the boat?"  
  
"Oh yeah. She wouldn't miss this tournament for the world. Above all else, she loves to totally destroy her opponents beyond a shadow of a doubt. That's why they call her the Dark Destroyer."  
  
"Oh Mai" a voice behind them laughed. "You always were so dramatic!"  
  
The voice nearly made Tea's skeleton try to escape through her mouth. She whirled around to face off with none other than the girl she had watched duelling earlier.  
  
She could have been called beautiful. Her voice was smooth and controlled, arrogant and contemptuous of everyone with just the slightest tremor in it. She was tall for a girl, about five foot ten without an ounce of fat on her frame. Her hair was a silky grey colour, dangling straight down to the middle of her back. Her skin was very smooth and bereft of blemishes, if rather pale. Her eyes...her eyes would have made Seto Kaiba back up a pace. They gleamed a smoky grey in the artificial light shipboard lights and they seemed to be opened a little too wide. Deep within those eyes, Tea could see a trace of the wild untamed fury that coursed through her veins, usurping the place of blood. That caused the voice tremor, that and the control it took to hold it all back.  
  
She was clad in tight grey jeans, a grey sweatshirt, and a short- sleeved grey jacket. This she stretched in as she regarded the two women in front of her. "And besides" She continued in a wolfish drawling tone, "Only my pathetic victims call me the Dark Destroyer. My name is Zev, Mai. Zev Crawford."  
  
Mai's face twisted into an expression of intense dislike. "Well Zev, you can forgive me for telling my friend here to watch out for snakes. They can be poisonous you know."  
  
"Of course." Zev's voice hardened just the tiniest bit. "Did you also warn her to watch out for harpies? They'll tear out your eyes the first chance they get."  
  
Mai hissed slightly. "Talk like that is going to get you pulled from your darkness and eliminated, girl."  
  
Zev's eyes narrowed and her grey-painted lips formed into a snarl of loathing. "Watch your shadow Mai. Because one day you'll find me walking out of it!"  
  
Fury crackled through the air for several seconds. Then Zev turned contemptuously away from Mai and found herself looking at Tea. She frowned slightly and a puzzled look came into her grey eyes.  
  
"I don't recognize you." She said to Tea. "Who are you?"  
  
Before Tea could answer, Mai cut in. "She's the next Queen of Games, more than likely." This caused Zev to burst into wild, hysterical laughter. For a full minute she cackled and laughed and nearly choked on her mirth. Tea shot a glance at Mai who smiled back.  
  
When Zev finally regained control of herself, she smirked. "Ah dear me, but that was funny Mai!" she snickered. "If I don't know the serious competition, then it doesn't exist. You know that! She's obviously a rookie. Barely worth my time."  
  
This made Tea's hair bristle slightly. "If you're going to insult me, then insult me to my face!" she snapped.  
  
Now Zev did look at Tea, something akin to a smile decorating her features as she sized her up. "Well, you do have spunk, don't you? Good. I like that, it makes life more interesting." Again came that wild, hysterical laughter. "What's your name and where are you from, rookie?"  
  
"I'm Tea Gardner, and I'm from Domino town. Where are you from? The psych-ward?"  
  
Zev pondered for a moment. "First of all, I'm from Toronto" she began. "Second, there might be just the slightest bit of truth to what Mai said, about your Queen of Games-ness. Domino has produced many fine duellists, even if most of them were men," she added disparagingly. Then she smiled wickedly, and Tea thought she preferred her laughter. "I'll be sure to watch out for you during the tournament. Try to survive." She bowed mockingly then turned and stalked away, pushing aside people in her way.  
  
Mai sidled up next to Tea. "So, what do you think of the competition now?"  
  
Tea looked at her with a pleading look in her eye. "I think that I'm going to stay as far away from her as possible."  
  
***  
  
Zev stalked her way through the chamber, head down and contemplating her new competition. Her thoughts were interrupted, however, when she ran into someone full on.  
  
"Watch where you're going woman!" a dark raspy voice growled.  
  
"Get out of my way!" Zev screamed. She balled a fist and slammed it into the midriff of the person who appeared before her. The creep folded like a cardboard box, and she was free to stalk on, a smile on her face. But before she went on her way, she paused and looked down at the face the guy she'd just laid out on the floor.  
  
His long white hair billowed about like a snowstorm and his dark eyes glared back up at hers furiously with mingled pain. Zev smiled sweetly at him before walking onward. Head down, she smirked to herself. 'Now that one is worth paying attention to'.  
  
"Bakura!" Seeing the confrontation, Ryou rushed to his Yami, who was struggling to sit up. "Great Scott, are you alright? Who was that girl?"  
  
Bakura ignored his lighter side and smirked at the girl's back. 'Ooh!' he thought to himself, 'I like her!'  
  
***  
  
Magicman: Aha! Completed is this chapter! Bwahahahahahaaa!  
  
Tea: Yipes. Zev is creepy  
  
Joey: Understatement of the year!  
  
Pegasus: So that's it?  
  
Magicman: That's it! Tune in next time! Serenity's going to be in the next chapter! 


	3. A glimpse at blossoming romances

Tea's Time to Shine  
  
Magicman: Last time we all got a glimpse of Zev Crawford, the main antagonist yet extremely cool character and the responses from you, the readers, were varied.  
  
Smokegirl: *dancing around like an idiot* I'm bad, you know it, I'm bad, I'll show it!  
  
Joey: Hey, that's my line!  
  
Tea: I wouldn't bother. She'd probably kill you for disrupting her grove.  
  
Magicman: Well, that said, we should probably get down to business.  
  
Pegasus: It's about time! I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever get any screen time!  
  
Magicman: Oh you will. Don't worry about that.  
  
***  
  
Serenity frowned at her map. "Lets see" she muttered to herself. "According to this map, I'm in the ship's cargo hold." She looked around. There was open sky above her, a swimming pool with jubilant girls frolicking in it, and ocean as far as the eye could see. She sighed and folded up her map. Obviously she had no idea where she was.  
  
Serenity had gone exploring upon her arrival on the cruise ship with Joey and Mai (also to give them some privacy; she wasn't blind, after all) and had become lost within moments. She had wandered the ship, from the galley to the duellists' territory, without the slightest idea where to go. Finally she ended up on the ship's deck, tired, hungry, and extremely annoyed.  
  
Sometimes, living up to her name could so incredibly tiresome.  
  
"Is something wrong Miss?" a raspy voice said from behind the girl.  
  
Startled, Serenity jumped and spun to face the voice. She reached into her purse and yanked out a bottle of pepper spray, which she pointed at the startled young man. "I'm warning you" she warned, "I know exactly how to use this!"  
  
The stranger raised his hands defensively. "Whoa, whoa! Relax! I'm not going to hurt you!"  
  
Serentiy relaxed slightly but did not put away her pepper spray. "Then what are you doing on this ship? This tournament is for girls only."  
  
The guy reached into his vest and pulled something out. "I'm Rex Raptor, a part of Duellist Kingdom security. See my ID card?"  
  
Serenity examined the card and the guy. He was short, about her height, with messy brown hair concealed in a weird brimless hat. He also wore a backpack, a red sweater, some jeans, and a greenish vest. The card itself was legit though, and she relaxed and put her spray away.  
  
"Sorry about that" Serenity apologized. "I'm kind of lost."  
  
"Well then I'm your man. As well as security, it's my job to find people and get them where they need to be." Rex puffed out his chest proudly.  
  
Serenity smiled. This was lucky. "Then could you show me where the dueling arena's are? That's where my brother would be."  
  
"Alright then. Just let old Rex lead the way." Rex offered Serenity his arm. Smiling, she refused. Smiling back, Rex led her into a nearby door that led into the interior of the ship.  
  
As they walked, they chatted companionably, swapping life stories. She mentioned her childhood traumas that caused her eye condition, and Rex talked about his duelling career. Serenity was quite interested in how a duelist like Rex got a job at Industrial Illusions.  
  
"Well" he explained, "I've been around and picked up a nickname or two, but I never really got anywhere. I came in second at the regionals, I never did make it to Pegasus' castle last Duellist Kingdom tournament, and I was cheated right out of the Battle City preliminaries."  
  
"Weren't you mad?"  
  
Rex smiled. "Of course! But when all's said and done, it's just a game. I wasn't out of it yet though. I thought to myself, who's the guy who put Duel Monsters on the map? And obviously the answer was Maximillian Pegasus. So I go down to Industrial Illusions and things just develop from there. Now life makes sense again, and I don't usually have to worry about nutcase duellists who think they can score an easy win off of the 'washed up Bronto-brain'."  
  
Serenity smiled. "I'm glad that things turned out well for you."  
  
Rex smiled ruefully. "I'll admit that things are looking up. So anyway, what's a cute girl like you doing in a place like Duellist Isle?"  
  
A light dusting of pink touched Serenity's cheek. She tried to ignore it and tell her tale. "I'm not actually participating."  
  
"Oh no?"  
  
She shook her head. "I'm here with my brother. We were invited by a friend of his."  
  
Rex studied the girl. "Come to think of it, I never did catch your name."  
  
"I'm Serenity Wheeler. You might know my brother? He was second in Duellist Kingdom and duelled in Battle City. We were invited by his friend Mai Valentine."  
  
Rex started then chuckled a bit. "Oh I now your brother alright. I ran into him into the tournament. He broke my winning momentum. I still think that I could have made it to the finals if I won. I was about to go after Mai next." Then he smiled roguishly. "Serenity, huh? That's a sweet name."  
  
Serenity blushed lightly again. "You name is a lot cooler. It's a great duellist's name."  
  
"Thanks. You're brother's a great duelist, you know. You should be very proud of him."  
  
"Oh I am." Now it was Serenity's turn to fill with pride.  
  
They talked a bit more before they arrived at their destination. Almost immediately, they were beset by Serenity's overprotective brother.  
  
"Serenity! There you are. I was worried about you. Where the heck did you get to?" He blinked a couple times. "What's Rex Raptor doing here?"  
  
Serenity smiled, pleased to see her brother again. "Hey big bro! I was just exploring the ship. I guess I got lost. Then Rex came by and offered to show me around."  
  
"I'm part of security" Rex added.  
  
Joey looked back and forth between his sister and the duellist. "I see," he said slowly. "Well that was nice of you Rex."  
  
Serenity turned a charming smile on the dinosaur duellist. "He's really quite sensitive. I don't know why so many duellists are afraid of him. Will I be seeing you sometime during the tournament?"  
  
Rex winked. "I'll see what I can do. Later cutiesaurus!" And with that, he left the room in his slouching way.  
  
Smiling, Serenity turned from Rex's exit to watch her brother's expression. The instant she saw it, she sighed in exasperation. "Oh come on Joey! Don't be so stern and forbidding. He's really nice."  
  
"Hey, I'm not stern and forbidding" he claimed defensively.  
  
"Then why are you always chasing Tristan and Duke away from me?"  
  
"That's because Duke is a playboy and Tristan is Tristan! Tristan is the future patron saint of the women repeller!"  
  
"Granted" Serenity admitted. Then she looked up at Joey, her eyes pleading. "But please Joey, don't be so mean to Rex. I really think he's a good guy, and, well I think I kind of like him."  
  
Joey seemed to consider for a moment. Serenity could only wait in tension as her brother deliberated. "Alright" he said at last. "If you want to get involved with Rex then I guess that's your choice. But if he hurts you in anyway, I'll tear out his tongue."  
  
"Oh thanks brother!" Serenity hugged Joey. "You're so great!"  
  
"Oh I don't know. If I was, I'd probably stop bugging you about guys."  
  
***  
  
At about that time, Tea was sunning herself by the pool. Clad in her blue two-piece swimsuit she sighed happily. It wasn't often that she could go sun tanning, and she wanted to savour every moment. At that moment, the duels and Zev Crawford were the farthest things from her mind. There was only she, the sun, and her sunglasses.  
  
Her tranquility was spoiled when a wave of water struck her.  
  
Gasping and spluttering, she sat up quickly and glared furiously. Her eyes quickly set upon the culprits, bobbing in the nearby pool. Secure in his pyramid-print swimsuit, Yugi was smiling innocently while his darker side, clad in black, made the 'V' sign with his fingers. Their victorious smiles faded quickly when they saw the vein popping from her forehead.  
  
Yugi turned to Yami and stage-whispered, "I don't think your idea was so good."  
  
Yami stared, surprised. "My idea?! This was you-"  
  
"Run while you still can boys!"  
  
The boys turned to see Tea, wielding one of the monstrous water cannons, which were being rented out at a nearby concession stand. The pharaoh and the midget asked no questions; they simply took off, streams of water firing wildly behind them.  
  
Yami stroked frantically, but was quickly outdistanced by his lighter side. He had taken a dim view of swimming lessons and had proven difficult for the instructors to manage. His indignity, which could only be felt by a 5000-year-old pharaoh forced to take lessons with whiny 3-year-olds, made him drop the lessons when he was capable of the dog paddle. As a consequence, he cried out when a stream of icy water smote him righteously between the shoulder blades. A resounding splash behind him warned that Tea was pursuing her offensive.  
  
She quickly caught up with him while he was floundering. Smiling sweetly, Tea eyed him with her luminous blue eyes. "So" she asked pleasantly, "If I know where Yugi's ticklish spots are, does that mean I know where yours are too?"  
  
Yami's eyes widened. "Tea, think about what your saying!"  
  
"I already did." Keeping herself afloat by kicking her legs, Tea snaked her right arm around to Yami's back, and her left arm to the spot between his right shoulder and his neck. Immediately Yami started to squirm and Tea's smile changed to a rather malicious smirk. "So you are ticklish, eh? Goodie."  
  
Tea tickled Yami mercilessly and without quarter. Soon he was reduced to tears and peals of raucous laughter as he struggled to escape her clutches. "You like that Yami?" she murmured into her victim's ear.  
  
Then she was hit by a stream of water. Yugi had picked up the water cannon and was moving to save his dark side. Under attack from her flank, Tea abandoned her incapacitated and giggling foe to neutralize the new threat. Yugi ran off screaming but his short legs were no match for Tea's. Soon she had him writhing in laughter as an exhausted Yami pulled himself up onto the side of the pool. Finally Tea let her friend go and sat down next to Yami, her long legs dangling in the water.  
  
"Have you two had enough?" she asked playfully.  
  
The duo nodded in unison, tiredly. "I'll never listen to another of Yami's plans to surprise you again", Yugi promised.  
  
Yami snorted. "Even though it was your idea."  
  
"You wish."  
  
Tea rolled her eyes. "You guys are so crazy. Loveable, but crazy." She lay back on the deck and rested. "Life just doesn't get much better than this, does it? Hanging out with your friends on a cruise ship in the bright afternoon sun with a big card tournament just around the corner."  
  
Yugi slid closer to Tea while Yami pulled himself out of the pool and scooted beside her. "Aren't you just a little bit worried Tea? I was terrified in my first tournament."  
  
Tea smiled softly and sat up. "I don't have a grandfather to save, Yugi. But yeah, I am a little nervous. But if I lose then that's the way things go."  
  
"As long as you believe in yourself and your deck then you'll have no reason to fear a loss." Yami laid his head on her lap, smiling up at her.  
  
Blushing slightly, Tea reflected on her feelings for both of her multi-colour haired sweethearts as Yugi joined his darker side on her lap. She knew that they both had feelings for her (she could see the way they watched her sometimes) and that she had those same feelings for both of them. Sooner or later she have to bite the bullet and pick one, hurting the other.  
  
But for now, she'd just be happy stroking their hair soothingly.  
  
***  
  
"What's wrong Joseph? I would've thought that a five star banquet would be irresistible to you."  
  
Joey sighed melancholy-like as Mai strolled up behind him casually, eating an apple. "Food tends to be bitter when you meet the guy you find out your sister has a crush on."  
  
Mai nodded sagely. Joey had told her about Rex. "Yes, that will happen."  
  
"Where did I go wrong Mai?" Joey whined. Granted, Mai wasn't the best person to whine to but she could surprise you. "I always thought Serenity would go for a nice, sensible guy like Yug' or Ryou or someone. But no! She liked Tristan for a while, Duke for a while; she even had that crush on Bakura!!! And now she's going for Rex Raptor!" He banged his head on the table, disturbing the food.  
  
Mai finished chewing a bite of her apple. When she swallowed, she smiled. "Well it could be worse. She could be going for Weevil Underwood!"  
  
Joey snorted. "I'm serious!"  
  
"So am I." All pretense of joking was gone. "Look Joey. You love your sister, right?"  
  
A sullen "yeah..."  
  
"Then let her grow up the way she wants to. Let her make her own mistakes and chart her own path through life."  
  
Joey sighed again. "Yeah. But it's tough watching your sister grow up. We've always been so close. I'm afraid of us drifting apart."  
  
Mai sat down next to her friend and put her hand over his. "You won't", she said with assurance. It made Joey feel better.  
  
"You know Mai," he said, "Despite all of the dumb blonde jokes I've heard, you're pretty smart."  
  
Mai smirked and made a pose. "Why thank you Joseph. I may have to be a role model for your dear sister, to make sure she grows up right!"  
  
Joey snorted. "You can be so hypocritical, yah know? Besides, I don't really want her ending up like you."  
  
Mai's eyes narrowed menacingly. "And just what is wrong with me, Joseph?!"  
  
Joey shrugged. "Nothing. But I've got plans on dating you someday and I don't really want images of my sister coming up when I'm kissing you."  
  
Shocked, Mai's eyes widened. But before she could say anything, Joey leaned forward and caught her soft, silky lips with his own.  
  
Expecting a slap he didn't get, Joey brought one hand up to caress Mai's cheek as he deepened the kiss. She tasted of the apple that she had been eating and something sweet that he couldn't identify. But when she began to kiss him back, he almost died right then and there.  
  
When they finally broke apart, Joey had a big grin on his face and Mai was smiling cheekily. "Well, did you see your sister there?"  
  
"Not even a little."  
  
"I'm glad". Mai put a hand on Joey's shoulder and pulled him in for another kiss.  
  
***  
  
Magicman: And cut! Okay people, print that and break for lunch!  
  
Tea: So I do like them back?  
  
Magicman: Yep! And Joey likes Mai, and you can only guess at Zev and Bakura.  
  
Smokegirl: Who did NOT appear in this episode!  
  
Magicman: Oh keep your shirt on. They get to Duellist Kingdom next chapter. You'll show up then.  
  
Pegasus: Maybe I'll finally get an appearance.  
  
Joey: Maybe. 


	4. Tea vs Mai: let the duels begin

Tea's Time to Shine  
  
Magicman: Welcome back my compatriots! Today is the day that many of you seem to have been waiting for. Not only does Pegasus get some air time-  
  
Pegasus: Finally!  
  
Magicman: -but Tea gets her first duel too!  
  
Tea: Yay!  
  
Magicman: As for BECA and those who sent me duellist ideas, rest assured that you will show up somewhere. I just still have to work out where. So just sit back and let the duels begin.  
  
***  
  
"Hey Tea?"  
  
Tea looked up from her backpack. After two days on Pegasus' cruise ship, the duellists were finally arriving at their destination. Duellist Island was on the horizon, and they would arrive in an hour. Tea wanted to be prepared for her first tournament, so she had spent much of her time in the duelling area picking up strategies and scoping out the competition. She hadn't duelled because she hadn't wanted to give away her strategy but she didn't mind. She'd tangle with someone soon enough.  
  
She stuffed her bathing suit into her pack and zipped it up. Then she turned to her friend and smiled. "What's up Yugi?"  
  
Yugi came in and sat down on Tea's bed. "I was thinking last night" he said slowly, "And I've thought of something."  
  
Tea cocked her head slightly, a puzzled look on her face.  
  
"We both know that there's a lot of good duellists on the island, and that you'll need all the good cards you can get."  
  
"Yugi, I-"  
  
"Please, let me finish first" Yugi pleaded. "I know you've got good cards and I think you can go far with them, but..." Yugi reached into his own backpack and pulled out his ornate box where he kept his own cards. "I got this card in Battle City and I've been trying to find the right place for it. I never could though, so I want you to have it."  
  
Yugi found what he was looking for and offered it to Tea. She could only stare. "Your Dark Magician? But he's your favourite card. I couldn't take him."  
  
Yugi shook his head and pulled out another card. He held them up to each other. "This one is my Dark Magician," he said. "He's pulled me out of too many messes to count. Well" he blushed, "I'd just feel better knowing that you had one too. Besides, he needs a good home and I think you'd be perfect."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yep! You're always so nice to everybody, I'm sure that he'd really enjoy being a part of your deck."  
  
Tea hesitated before taking the card offered. "Thank you Yugi. I really don't think anyone has done something this nice to me before." She smiled and leaned over, giving him a light kiss on the cheek.  
  
Yugi blushed about sixty-two different shades of red. His heart leaped into his throat. His skin shivered in delight. He was enjoying himself.  
  
'Having fun Yugi?' Yami asked from inside the puzzle, amused.  
  
'Oh shut up!'  
  
When Tea stopped she gave him her best smile. "Thanks again Yugi. You're a wonderful person."  
  
"Um...thanks" Yugi mumbled again, taking his own Dark Magician and putting it back in his case. "Um, want to go on deck and watch the island come in?"  
  
"I'd love to!" She took Yugi's arm and they went up on deck.  
  
***  
  
"Wow! Check out all these top ranked duellists! Aren't they something?"  
  
"Tell me about. I doubt I'll make it past my first battle."  
  
"Hey look! Isn't that Mai Valentine? I heard she's ranked number one of all us girls!"  
  
"I dunno. I hear she's been wrestling with Zev Crawford for years."  
  
"Hey! There she is now!"  
  
"Wow, she's scary!"  
  
"But look over there. It's Ami Ryuta. I hear that she's the number three ranked!"  
  
"Did you also hear that she's a complete lunatic?"  
  
"Yeah. So? Oh hey look! It's Yugi Mutoh!"  
  
"Oh man! Did he see us? I'm so nervous! Hey, check out that girl he's with. You think she's his girlfriend?"  
  
"Aw man! I was hoping he was single. Who is she anyway?"  
  
"Just a novice like most of us. She won't last long."  
  
Yami glanced over at Tea, or, more accurately, at the vein that was starting to pop out of her forehead. She was doing a good job of remaining calm however, though he could hear her muttering under breath. As for him, he was generally mistaken for Yugi's older brother. The shorter version was walking ahead with Ryou, making their way to the front of the crowd.  
  
Pegasus was going to make a speech in a few minutes and they wanted the best view possible.  
  
Yami bumped into some girl with long brown hair in a ponytail. "Oh, pardon me! I'm sorry."  
  
The girl stared up at him with big hazel eyes and smiled adoringly. "Oh that's alright!"  
  
"Well okay then. Bye." Yami walked on and heard a sigh behind him. He rolled his eyes as Tea snickered.  
  
"Another broken heart, eh?"  
  
"Well one can't help the feelings of others."  
  
Tea eyed Yami with one eyebrow lifted. "No, one can't, can they?" she said almost to herself, her voice rather sultry. The pharaoh coughed slightly.  
  
"Hey mates!" Ryou called, catching their attention. "Pay attention, would you? Pegasus is about to speak."  
  
Yami and Tea turned to the castle. High up on the balcony, in the exact same place where he made his grand announcement of Duellist Kingdom he stood, wearing the same red suit with the frills. He spread his hands grandly out to all who listened as the wind blew back his majestic hair. His Millennium Eye gleamed in the bright morning sun.  
  
"Girls and women of all ages" the billionaire pronounced grandly, "I proudly welcome each and every one of you to Duellist Kingdom! I recognize some old faces and some new competitors, who I hope will put on a proud showing. The rules of competition are the same as last time, but I will refresh your memory."  
  
"Each of you has received two precious star chips and a duelling gauntlet. Treat these chips carefully, because they are your link to my tournament. Lose them and you will be shipped out. But they are far more than just a lifeline. Oh yes indeed! You must wager these precious star chips on each of your duels. If, and only if, you earn ten chips will you be granted entry into my castle. The first eight duellists who make it will have the honour of participating in the Duellist Kingdom finals. The winner of these finals will be given the prize of three million dollars, and the title of Queen of Games!"  
  
Pegasus gestured with his hand and a bunch of men appeared at the end of the courtyard with armfuls of fireworks. "When the sky is lit with fireworks in one hour the tournament will begin. You have until that time to prepare. So prepare your decks, because the greatest tournament in the world is soon to begin anew!"  
  
A cheer rose up from the crowd and many duellists left the courtyard to finish tinkering with their decks, or to find a field advantage.  
  
"Hey Tea" Ryou questioned, "Shouldn't you get ready?"  
  
"I'm as ready as I ever will be Ryou. When the fireworks go up I'll just stroll out into the big wide world and challenge the first duellist I see."  
  
Yugi and Yami exchanged looks. "That's a pretty 'come Hell or high water' plan Tea."  
  
Tea shrugged and smiled. "What can I say? I feel daring today."  
  
Ryou sighed. "I sense difficulties ahead. And Bakura isn't even around."  
  
***  
  
Fireworks crackled across the sky, visible from the entire island. Pegasus resumed his position on the balcony. "Let the duels begin!"  
  
Yami and Tea pulled out of their intense Rock, Paper, and Scissors championship. Tea stood up. "Alright!" she said, hyped up. "Lets get this show on the road! Who wants a piece of Tea?"  
  
"I think I'll take you up on that offer" a cocky voice declared. Tea sighed.  
  
"How did I know my first duel would be against you, Mai?"  
  
The blonde shrugged elegantly. "Call it ESP and get your deck out. I've wanted to see what you're capable of, so I hung around waiting for you to make a move. Fortunately Joey kept me company."  
  
Mai bestowed a dazzling smile upon Joey, who was right beside her. He flashed a grin on his friends and slid an arm around the blonde girl's waist. Behind Tea's back, Yugi and Yami shot him 'V' signs. Ryou had gone off to find Bakura, or he probably would have joined them.  
  
Tea arched an eyebrow at Joey before turning her attention back to Mai. "Well if you really want to duel I can't say that would be a disappointment. Shall we step outside and settle this like ladies?"  
  
"I don't see any ladies around, but sure. Lets tussle." The two women walked from the castle's courtyard side by side, their male friends following behind, eager for the spectacle.  
  
"Ah man, this is gonna be good! I don't know who I should cheer for!" Joey was obviously excited, but Yugi was rather worried.  
  
"Yami" he asked, "Do you think Tea can win?"  
  
"I know she can." The pharaoh had a confident smile. "Tea can take her."  
  
No sooner had those words left his mouth then a giant holographic dueling stadium rose up from the ground like some great monolith of an ancient civilisation. The girls stepped into their respective booths and the stadium's holo-emitters activated.  
  
"Hey look! There's a duel going on!"  
  
Yugi looked about. "We seem to be drawing a crowd. Oh, hey Serenity!"  
  
"Hi Yugi!"  
  
While the fans muttered amongst themselves, Mai addressed Tea. "Alright then Tea, how does one star chip grab you?"  
  
"Only one?"  
  
Mai shrugged. "You are my friend. I just want to duel you, not eliminate you."  
  
"Fair enough. One star it is." Tea pulled one of her stars from the slot on her glove and set it down on the board. Then she smiled. "Okay then Mai, it's time to duel!"  
  
Tea won the ensuing coin toss and chose to go first. Both players drew their hands and the duel truly began.  
  
Tea examined her hand carefully. "I'll start off light with you Mai. I play Marie the Fallen One in defence mode and end my turn.  
  
Marie (1700/1200) was projected on the field as a black angel with a pink outfit and short blond hair. Joey stared in disbelief.  
  
"What is Tea doing, defending with a monster with a defence that low?"  
  
Yami smiled. "I wonder what she has planned. With no field power bonuses on the castle grounds, they'll have to strategise better."  
  
Mai stared at the field. 'She's still making amateur mistakes like that? I thought she'd be good.' Aloud, she said, "A weak monster like that won't win you the match Tea. I'll set two cards face down and play Harpy Lady (1300/1400) in attack mode! Now my harpy, destroy Marie!"  
  
With a shriek, the Harpy swooped down from the sky and struck down the fiend monster with one slash of her claws. However, Marie's translucent image remained on the field, hovering in the air. Mai stared as Tea smiled.  
  
"Well now you've done it." Tea deigned to explain herself. "With Marie the Fallen One in my graveyard, I gain 200 life-points each of my standby phases. So sorry Mai, but the advantage is mine."  
  
Mai frowned. 'I underestimated her big time. I can't afford more mistakes like that.'  
  
"Now I guess it's my turn" Tea said cheerfully as her life-points increased to 2200. "Now say hello to Fire Princess (1300/1500) in defence mode. And I'll play Messenger of Peace down too! None of your monsters with 1500 or more attack points will be able to attack me as long as this card is in play. Good luck breaking through this defence!"  
  
Mai stared again, this time in horror as realisation dawned. "Oh crap!"  
  
Tea grinned. "And that's it for me. Your move again Mai!"  
  
Mai frowned at her hand. "I can't do anything useful this turn, unfortunately. I'll have to pass."  
  
"Of course. Now I gain even more life-points (LP: 2400), and an even better bonus. Fire Princess ensures that each time I gain life-points, you lose life-points, 500 to be exact."  
  
Fire Princess pointed out and blasted Mai with a bolt of fire. She winced as her life-points dropped to 1500. "This sucks" she grumbled.  
  
Tea was having fun, at least. "Now I'll set this card and end my turn."  
  
Mai drew and smiled. "Alright! I can get back in this game!"  
  
"Uh oh."  
  
"I play Harpy's Feather duster, destroying your magic cards and traps!"  
  
"I've got something to say first!" Tea flipped the card she'd just played facedown. "Blast with Chain, which I play on my Fire Princess!"  
  
Mai swore. "Damn it!"  
  
Tea smiled again. "Then I take it you know what it does. When it's sent to the graveyard by a card effect I can destroy one card on the field. And I'll pick your facedown card on the left."  
  
Mai scowled as her Mirror Wall was sent to the graveyard. "Now I'll play my other card, Cyber Shield, and boost my Harpy's attack by 500 points, more than enough to kill that irritating little brunette! Harpy attack!"  
  
Tea scowled as Harpy Lady destroyed her Fire Princess. "Are you done?"  
  
"No. I'll end with one card facedown. Now I'm done."  
  
"Good." Tea (LP: 2600) drew and examined her cards. "I'll defend with this card and end my turn."  
  
Mai eyed Tea's facedown monster warily. It was suspicious that Tea hadn't played it face up, but she wasn't worried. "Harpy attack!"  
  
Harpy Lady struck and the monster was revealed to be a Skelenger. Tea smiled and drew. "Thanks. Attacking Skelenger lets me draw a card."  
  
Mai sighed. "You really like those effect monsters, don't you?"  
  
Tea (LP: 2800) shrugged. "Yeah. But don't count me out of the sheer firepower division either. I've got monsters that'll stomp you good. Now, if you don't mind, I'll defend again with this monster."  
  
"And again I'll destroy it! But first, I'll play Soul Release and get rid of your graveyard. Say goodbye to Marie!" Mai smiled as the fiend's image disappeared from the field. "Now Harpy, attack again!"  
  
Tea sighed. "You didn't really learn anything when I told you about my monsters, did you? Since you killed my Giant Germ (1100/100) you take another 500 damage, and I can bring out two more. I think I'll play them both in defence mode."  
  
Mai winced as her life-points dropped down to 1000. "Alright then. Just go."  
  
"I will." Tea smiled at her next card. "I'll play Gemini Elf (1900/900) in attack mode. Now attack my elf! Take out that harpy!"  
  
"Not so fast!" Mai activated a trap card. Tea's eyes widened as she recognised it. "I play Amazon Archers. They'll decrease you elf's attack by 500. And it's too late to call back your attack, so say bye-bye to your elf!" She smiled as Tea's life-points dropped to 2400. "So your not unstoppable after all."  
  
"Oh shut up! One card face down, and I end my turn." Tea scowled. She had been on a roll.  
  
"Good. I'll play Elegant Egotist on my Harpy Lady!" Mai laughed in that crazy/annoying way she had as her harpy multiplied. "Give a warm welcome to the Harpy Lady Sisters (1950/1800)! And since Cyber Shield is still attached, her attack is at a deadly 2450. Now I can't attack your germs without taking damage, so I'll play Raigeki. Since they weren't destroyed in battle, I'm safe from their effect."  
  
Tea winced as a huge lightning bolt flew down and obliterated her germs. Mai couldn't happier, it seemed. "Now I'll go for your life-points directly and take you down! Attack Harpies, with triple claw strike!"  
  
Tea defended herself with her Wobaku trap card, but Mai just shrugged. "I'll get you next turn. You can't evade my attacks forever."  
  
Tea drew and smiled. "Not forever, but for long enough. I play one card facedown and I summon the Dark Magician in attack mode."  
  
"Say what?! You don't have a Dark Magician!"  
  
"Not true. Yugi gave me one just before the tournament. He thought it might help me out and it did." Tea turned and waved to her friend in the audience. "Thanks again Yugi!"  
  
Yugi tried to shrink as people turned to stare at him.  
  
Tea's red Dark Magician rose up onto the field and glared sternly at Mai's harpies. Tea was ecstatic. "I hope you're ready to lose Mai!"  
  
"I'm not done with you yet!" She drew and laughed again. "Alright! Meet my Harpy's Pet Dragon (2000/2500). He's very eager to meet you."  
  
The dragon appeared, screaming in rage. Around its neck were three chains that acted as leashes. Each of Mai's harpies held a leash and infused it with extra attack points, bring it all the way up to 2900.  
  
"Now dragon, attack her Dark Magician and eliminate him from the field!"  
  
Tea played another trap. "You really should remember that I know how to use traps now. Like Spellbinding Circle, for instance. It traps your dragon and drains 700 attack points. Too bad Mai, but I've still got the upper hand."  
  
"Actually, with this facedown card, I've got you on the ropes" Mai mocked. "It was a good try Tea, but I'm about to win. It's your move."  
  
Tea (LP: 2400) frowned as she drew. What did Mai mean? Was she bluffing? It was her style to, but somehow, she didn't think so. She looked at her hand and focussed on one card. "I'll set this down and end my turn."  
  
"Right. Well I think I'll break you now." Mai (LP: 1000) laughed. "I'll begin with Remove Trap, to take out your Spellibinding Circle card, freeing my dragon and bringing it back up to full power."  
  
"Oh shoot!"  
  
"Oh yes! And not I activate my facedown trap." Mai flipped her card with a triumphant expression. "Windstorm of Etaqua!"  
  
A gust of wind blew onto the field, forcing Tea's struggling Dark Magician into defence mode. Mai watched, pleased to see that she had finally taken control. "Now I'll play Fairy Meteor Crush on my dragon, and have it destroy your Dark Magician!"  
  
Tea shielded herself from the blast and cursed as her life-points dropped to 1600.  
  
"Watch your language," Mai chided. "Now I'll finish you with my  
Harpies. It was a good try Tea, but not good enough!"  
  
The Harpies attacked and the audience held its breath. Suddenly the flying beasts lurched back as something freaky happened. A hole opened up in the ground and a rope dropped down into it. Mai's eyes opened wide. "Not Rope of Life!!!"  
  
Tea smiled as her Dark Magician was pulled from the pit, 800 attack points stronger. "And now Mai, if you're done I'll just have my Dark Magician finish you off. Attack Dark Magician, with Dark Magic!"  
  
Tea was never sure of what quite happened afterward, but just as her Dark Magician (3300/2100) fired a blast that destroyed Mai's Harpies and dropped her life-points to zero, she would have sworn that her monster turned its head to her. Then it smiled and winked as the holo-emitters shut down, leaving only Mai looking shell-shocked and Tea looking rather startled.  
  
"Tea, you did it!" Yugi tackled Tea, nearly knocking her over. "You were great!"  
  
Yami beamed. "I'm proud of you Tea! Any duellist would envy your duel!"  
  
Tea blushed. "Aw, it was nothing."  
  
While his friends fawned on Tea, Joey went over to comfort his girlfriend. "Ah don't worry about it Mai" he told her as she packed up her deck. "You'll bounce right back and be there in the finals. I know you will."  
  
Mai smiled. "Thanks Joey. But first thing's first." She walked over to Tea, who was just divesting herself of Yugi and held, out her star chip. "Here Tea. You won this."  
  
"Thanks Mai." Tea took the chip and studied it for a second. "Lets make a promise that we'll both make it into the castle. We can have a rematch in the final round."  
  
"I'd like that. But I must be going now. Lots of duellists out there to crush. See yah." Mai turned and walked away.  
  
"Bye guys. Lets go sis'." And with that, Joey and Serenity went after Mai.  
  
Tea looked down at her duelling gauntlet. "I just won my first official duel." She smiled. "Sweet!"  
  
***  
  
From the edge of a forest about a hundred yards away, Zev Crawford stood thinking. She had seen the whole battle and witnessed the defeat of her greatest rival.  
  
'I may have to be careful with that one.' She thought. 'She could be an obstacle."  
  
Suddenly her grey eyes narrowed and she whirled on her heel, staring hard into the shadows of the forest. "You can come out now. I know you're there!"  
  
The leaves stirred and the white-haired guy she'd run into on the boat was suddenly in front of her. "We meet again," he rasped.  
  
"Yes we do" Zev agreed. "What do you want?"  
  
The white-haired boy looked her over, checking her out. Zev didn't mind; she even stretched a bit to give him a better view. He seemed to notice this and smirked. "You interest me. I'm going to be traveling with you a while."  
  
"Presumptuous of you, isn't it? Good. I like that." She shrugged. "Do what you want, but if you make me angry I'll break your legs. Got it?"  
  
"Of course. Oh, we'll have company too. Ryou, get out here!"  
  
What looked like the good side of this white-haired fiend stumbled from a pricker-bush. "Ouch, that smarts!"  
  
"Enough complaining. We're going with this girl for a while."  
  
Zev raised an eyebrow. "Pretty ignorant of you to not even know my name."  
  
Bakura snorted. "I don't care what your name is."  
  
"Zev Crawford."  
  
"I am called Bakura. He is Ryou, my lighter side."  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Crawford."  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
Zev smirked. "Well if nothing else, this should be good for some laughs. Come on. We're going to my campsite. We'll wait until night."  
  
"What happens then?" Ryou wanted to know.  
  
Zev smiled cruelly. "I go hunting."  
  
***  
  
Joey: Aw, poor Mai.  
  
Magicman: Ah well. You win some, you lose some. Speaking of winning, that was quite a duel. If you want to see more of them, then-  
  
Joey: -Then stay tuned for the next episode!  
  
Magicman: Hey!  
  
Joey: Sorry. 


	5. Revised: Tea vs Akki Kino: the second du...

Tea's Time to Shine  
  
Magicman: A reviewer (Azurite) asked some good questions about the history of this story. So, I'm going to spend the first part of this chapter answering them. Hopefully those answers will be satisfactory. First of all, it is my unshakeable belief that Pegasus is not dead. After Bakura stole his eye, he was hurt badly (I think he was in a coma) but they never actually said he died. Besides, if he had died who gave Yugi the Ties of Friendship card and who sent Duke Devlin that contract? I'm positive that it was Pegasus.  
  
Pegasus: They were very unclear on the point of my disappearance.  
  
Magicman: Second, Shadi separated the Yami's and the hikaris and gave them their own bodies, but they are still 5000-year-old spirits. Those spirits are infused in their light sides' Millennium Items so it makes sense to me that they would be able to go back in them. They still require the Items to exist, but now that they have their bodies back they will age normally.  
  
Bakura: You mean I'm going to die???  
  
Smokegirl: Not if I can help it! *Glomps Bakura*  
  
Magicman: Finally, I'm not sure what you mean by not everyone getting their items back. Pegasus gets his, Yugi and Ryou keep theirs, Ishizu gets her necklace back, and Marik (he will appear eventually) gets his rod. Shadi still gets his two. So I hope that was helpful. Now on with the story! By the way, now is where I introduce the first character that reviewers sent me.  
  
***  
  
"Hey there! Wait up for me!"  
  
Hearing the voice behind her, Tea turned in puzzlement. She, Yugi and Yami had all been walking from Pegasus' castle for about ten minutes. Mai and the Wheelers had taken off toward the mountainous zone and heaven alone knew what happened to Ryou and Bakura. After the opening match, the other duellists had scattered to the four corners of the island.  
  
Except for one, apparently. A girl with a long brown ponytail was racing after the trio, waving her arms and yelling enthusiastically. "Hold on! I wanted to talk to you!"  
  
That was as far as she got before she tripped over a jutting rock and went flying head over heels. Her backpack spilled all manner of contents out onto the field and she hit the dirt face first.  
  
Surprised, Tea ran over to the girl who managed to get to her knees. "Jeez, are you alright?"  
  
The girl looked up at Tea and smiled. "Oh I'm fine," she said cheerfully. "I'm sure I've been through worse." She paused to spit out some turf.  
  
While she was recovering, Yugi and Yami busily gathered up her stuff and put them back in her backpack. Yami handed it to her when she regained her breath. She started to thank him before starting. Then she smiled up at him. "I know you!" she said a little breathlessly. "Remember me from the castle?"  
  
Yami studied her. "Hey, didn't I bump into you?"  
  
"Yep! I'm Akki. It's nice to meet you Yami Mutoh, the King of Games!"  
  
Yugi snickered behind Yami's back as he sweat dropped. "I must admit that I feel slightly at a disadvantage."  
  
Akki's smiled grew even wider. "Oh I'm a big fan! I've checked out all your stats and it's a real honour to finally meet you! Can I shake your hand?"  
  
Yugi snickered even more as Akki pumped Yami's arm vigorously. Tea eyed her with a little jealousy. "So" she interrupted the excited girl, "What brings you over to this part of the island?"  
  
Akki adjusted her square rimmed glasses as she regarded Tea. "As you could probably guess, I am also a duellist." She showed off her glove with two star chips. "So I want to duel, naturally. Besides, I saw your match with Mai Valentine. I want to see how good you are."  
  
Tea smiled. "They say that curiosity killed the cat."  
  
"They sure do" Akki said cheerfully.  
  
Tea's smile turned into a grin. There was something about Akki that you couldn't help but like. "Alright Akki. I accept your challenge. It's time to duel."  
  
No sooner had the words left Tea's mouth than another holo-duel arena rose up from the ground. Akki smiled at her opponent. "I'll just meet you on the playing field." She turned and started to run for her platform and promptly tripped over the rock again. "Ow!"  
  
When both duellists were ensconced in their sides of the arena, they addressed the matter of the wager.  
  
"Is one chip fine with you?" Akki said. "I try to be cautious in these big tournaments."  
  
"Fair enough" Tea answered. "One chip it is." She removed one from her glove and set it down on the board in front of her.  
  
"Go get her Tea!" Yugi encouraged from the sidelines.  
  
"Don't worry Yugi!" Tea smiled at her diminutive friend. "It's in the bag!"  
  
"Now, if that display of affection is finished, lets get down to business." Akki reached into her pocket and pulled out a quarter. "Coin toss!" she shouted jubilantly. She chucked it high into the air, yelling out "Heads!" Unfortunately, when she jumped to grab it, she missed and it fell a good twenty feet to the ground. Silence reigned for a moment as the coin bounced once. Akki turned red with embarrassment.  
  
Yami saved her from any further situations by hurrying to where the coin had fallen and checking its status. "Heads" he reported.  
  
"Yay!" Akki cheered. "I go first!"  
  
Tea gestured. "Then be my guest."  
  
"Alrighty then!" She performed a dorky little dance move nearly sending her off the edge of her platform. When she regained her balance, she smiled. "I'll play one monster in defence mode and one card face down. Your turn!"  
  
Tea nodded and analysed Akki's field. She looked down at her hand and chewed her lip thoughtfully. "I guess I'll draw." She did so and smiled slightly. "I'll play a monster face down-"  
  
She broke off as her Giant Germ was suddenly dragged into a vortex. "What happened?"  
  
"You activated my Acid Trap Hole! It destroys your face down monster, if it has 2000 or less defence points. Yay!"  
  
Tea shook her head. "Well that wasn't a good start. I'll finish with two cards face down."  
  
"Okay!" Akki drew her next card and examined it. "Excellent! I'll play Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer (1800/1500) in attack mode."  
  
A masked man appeared on the field with a flash, his hands radiating with some strange energy. Suddenly there was a shudder on the field and Akki's facedown monster was forced into face up defence. Akki was understandably upset.  
  
"What happened? I didn't flip my Vindictive Old Magician (450/600) yet!"  
  
"Maybe not, but I did!" Tea showed her Ceasefire trap. "It flips all facedown monsters and deals 500 damage to my opponent for each effect monster on the field. That means you take 1000 damage."  
  
Akki winced as her life points were cut in half. "Ouch! That wasn't fun! Okay then, I'll just attack you-"  
  
"That won't be necessary." Tea flipped her Wobaku trap. "Are you done?"  
  
Akki sighed. "Yeah."  
  
"Okay then." She drew and analysed her hand. "I'll defend with the Banisher of the Light (100/2000)."  
  
The imposing fairy stood tall upon the field, defending Tea's lifepoints.  
  
"Now" Tea said, "I'll set one card and end my turn."  
  
The next three turns were uneventful as neither player made a move. Akki didn't find any monsters strong enough to destroy Tea's Banisher, and Tea was formulating a plan.  
  
When Akki drew her next card, she beamed. "Alright! A way to break through your defence! Meet my Cosmo Queen (2900/2400), the strongest monster in my deck!"  
  
The holographic sky darkened and Akki's Cosmo Queen slowly materialised, as though transporting herself into the arena. Her gleaming robes shimmered in the early afternoon light. Tea stared in awe at the card. "Wow" she murmured. "She's beautiful."  
  
Akki smiled. "Thank you! She's also strong enough to destroy your pesky fairy."  
  
"Yep" Tea said cheerfully. "But that won't matter if she can't attack."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"My Book of Moon magic card will flip her facedown. Now you can't break through my defence for another turn!"  
  
Akki was looking extremely irritated. She slapped down a card and ended her turn.  
  
Yugi sidled over to Yami as Tea considered her move. "She can win, can't she? She's been dominating this duel."  
  
Yami eyed Akki suspiciously. "She may have the lead, but every card drawn changes the tide of the duel. Something may happen."  
  
"I'll play Dark Hole and clear the field of both of our monsters."  
  
Every monster on the field was suddenly sucked into a swirling abyss. Yami shielded his face from the blazing wind that was trying to blow his eyelids shut. Squinting, he peered through the wind and saw a form suddenly rise from the graveyard. His eyes narrowed, then suddenly burst open wide, despite the wind. "It can't be!"  
  
When the devouring storm dissipated the Cosmo Queen was left standing. Tea's jaw dropped in shock. "What the-"  
  
"My Call of the Haunted brought her back! Wheee!" Akki spun around for joy, nearly sending herself off the platform again. "We're seeing a comeback in the making!"  
  
Still in shock, Tea played her Fire Princess (1300/1500) in defence mode. "Your move."  
  
"Yay! I've got another plan! I play the Dark Designator to send a card from your deck to your hand! And I know just what card I want in your hand. Fairy Meteor Crush!" Akki laughed joyfully at Tea's stunned expression. She had watched the duel with Mai; she knew what Tea had in her deck. "Now I'll activate Exchange, so we each get a card from each other's hand, and I want that magic card. I'll equip Fairy Meteor Crush to Cosmo Queen and destroy your Fire Princess, putting a very serious hurt on your lifepoints. Attack with Galaxy blast!"  
  
Cosmo Queen put her hands together and aimed right at the Fire Princess. There was no contest and the blast rocked the arena. Tea clung to her duel board as the platform threatened to spill HER over the side. When it was over, she watched helplessly as her lifepoints dropped steadily to a measly 600.  
  
"Okay, Now I'm done. You can go now."  
  
Tea paused to take a breath. "You know" she said aloud to Akki, "This is usually the part where I'd be encouraging my friends when they're in a big duel. Some ironic twist, huh?"  
  
Akki just kind of looked at her. Then she adjusted her glasses. "I, uh, don't get it."  
  
Tea waved a hand. "Never mind."  
  
"You can take her Tea! You've got cards that can overcome her Cosmo Queen and finish her off" Yami was cheering. "You've seen it happen, now come back from the edge to win!"  
  
Tea looked down at Yami and smiled. "Thanks" was all she said, but it made his cheeks flare up red. Yugi snickered again and Yami made a note to steal his socks.  
  
"Okay" Tea said, returning to the duel. "Where were we? Oh yeah! I was about to draw." Tea drew and looked at her card. Then she looked at it again to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. It was the one card in her deck that would let her win. "I've got to hand it to you Akki, you're good but I've got you now."  
  
Akki looked intently at the card Tea had just drawn, as if she could see through it. "You've got nothing."  
  
"I've got exactly what I need. My Amazoness Swordswoman (1500/1600)!"  
  
The woman appeared on the field. She watched the Cosmo Queen calmly, her drawn sword in front of her. She was strong, but next to the spellcaster she was nothing.  
  
Akki stared. "What the heck are you talking about? That card is way to weak to threaten my Cosmo Queen. What could you possibly be thinking playing her? Unless..." Now Akki's stare contained some alarm. "Unless there's some ability to that card I don't know about!"  
  
"Correct! If Amazonnes Swordswoman, the damage that would normally go to my lifepoints go to yours! And so, attack that Cosmo Queen, Amazoness Swordswoman!" Tea watched as her monster sprang to the attack and was smacked down contemptuously by the Cosmo Queen. Still, the life points were subtracted from Akki's already depleted supply and the holograms all disappeared. The spellcaster was the last to go, and she had the most priceless stunned expression on her face.  
  
Yugi cheered ecstatically. "And it's Tea by a nose! The crowd goes wild! Just watch that crazy fan dance!" He started to moonwalk around, causing everyone to sweatdrop.  
  
When they hopped down off the platform, Akki handed Tea her chip. Beaming, she congratulated her. "That was a good duel Tea! I guess I can see how you beat Mai!"  
  
"You're good too. We should duel again sometime." Tea would have said more, but her stomach growled loudly. The other three laughed while she blushed. "Well, Yugi said it best but this duelling really takes it out of you."  
  
Akki beamed again. "No problem! Since last Duellist Kingdom tournament, Mr. Pegasus had some food stands installed. They're all over the place!"  
  
"Well it's better than Tristan's outdoor survival guide" Yami said. This drew a laugh from the gang. "Shall we go?"  
  
With cheers, the group headed off to find a concession stand. As they went, Tea slipped her arm in Yami's. He didn't put her away.  
  
***  
  
Meanwhile, on the other side of the island Ishizu had just won her fifth star chip. Unruffled by her opponent's cursing, the Egyptian woman calmly stepped down from her platform and rejoined her grumbling brother at the edge of the forest clearing, her long dress flowing along behind her.  
  
"I still don't see why you wanted to drag me along to this farce" Marik grumbled. "I could be back home with my Rare Hunters, watching TV!"  
  
Ishizu gave a small sigh. "Marik, I don't know exactly what my necklace showed me, but I do know that something is going to happen in the Duellist Kingdom finals. Something dark and dangerous. I need to be there to learn what it is, and stop it if I can." She glared at her brother. "You're here because I don't trust you alone in the house."  
  
Marik grumbled further but didn't answer. He just followed his sister into the forest, leaving the poor girl behind to gather her scattered deck.  
  
***  
  
Magicman: Ah yes. The slow process of the plot unfolding. It does me great joy.  
  
Joey: You're one sick puppy, you know that?  
  
Magicman: Yep.  
  
Pegasus: What are you going to do to my tournament?! I don't need evil forces taking over!  
  
Tea: Nuts to the tournament, I want to know which one of them likes me more!  
  
Yami&Yugi: Yeah!  
  
Magicman: All in good time! For now, just go back to doing whatever it is you do.  
  
All: Okay. *All start doing random things*  
  
Magicman: Until next time, colleagues.  
  
NOTE: I re-uploaded this chapter because I saw a mistake in the duel. Please accept my apologies for this outrageous crime. 


	6. Yami vs Zev Crawford: a duel in the dark

Tea's Time to Shine  
  
Tea: Hi folks! We've got a cool episode for you today! There's another exciting duel, and we all get to learn a little bit more about Zev. Really, I'm wondering why she's so nuts.  
  
Magicman: Hey! It's my job to introduce the chapters! Ah, how could I stay mad you?  
  
Tea: ^_^  
  
Joey: Author's pet!  
  
Tea: _  
  
Pegasus: Don't annoy her Joey-boy. You know very well that she can spit nails when she gets mad. Remember that episode when Kaiba beat Yugi and she let him have it with both barrels?  
  
Joey: Oh yeah.  
  
Tea: Now that that's done with, let's get started.  
  
Magicman: ^_//  
  
***  
  
The night stars twinkled beautifully against the black-blue velvet sky that seemed to wrap itself around the Earth. The warm night wind whispered through the trees and the crackling glow from the fire lit the campsite with a cheerful gleam. The occasional spark flickered off into the darkened forest zone. Tea lay back against a log, her legs stretched out and her arms behind her head, and heaved a sigh of contentment.  
  
'Four star chips and a full belly. Life is good.'  
  
The little gang had gone to one of the concession stands that Pegasus had set up since last tournament. This especially helped, because they were equipped with washrooms. Akki had shown them that duellists ate for free, and they'd gleefully stuffed themselves. The most priceless moment had been when Yugi put straws up his nose and made Yami spray root beer from his. Of course they had had to clean up the mess, but it was worth it.  
  
Tea yawned. Bacon double cheeseburgers always made her sleepy, and it was so late. They had barely managed to set up camp an hour ago. Maybe she should close her eyes for a minute...  
  
A rustling in the bushes heralded Yami's arrival and Tea's eyes popped open. He looked sooo hot in the firelight. She only hoped that the glow masked her sudden blush.  
  
The former pharaoh walked over to Tea and sat down next to her. "It's some beautiful night, isn't it?"  
  
"Is that a rhetorical question?"  
  
Yami smiled. "Kind of."  
  
Tea yawned again. My, she was sleepy!  
  
"You know Tea, I never really congratulated you." Yami said. "You don't have much duelling experience and you've already earned four star chips from two really tough duellists. You should be very proud of yourself."  
  
Tea smiled serenely. "I should be thanking you, you know. You and Yugi."  
  
Yami raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"  
  
"You two believed I could do it. When I wanted to sign up for this tournament, Bakura was a scornful ass, Ryou just stared at me, and Joey laughed. You two never doubted that I could successfully compete." She smiled as she reached up a hand and stroked Yami's cheek. "Thanks."  
  
Yami closed his eyes and felt the smooth gentle touch. His soul stirred with emotions he longed to act on.  
  
A crackle of noise tore through the beautiful moment. Tea and Yami's heads snapped left, staring into the forest that had once been so peaceful and comforting. Tea didn't know why, but fear welled up in her heart.  
  
The forest crackled again and a rush of leaves flew on a sudden gust. Yami moved in front of Tea, shielding her from danger.  
  
Then for a time, the crackling stopped. There was naught but silence but for the spitting fire. The wind died down again. The two teenagers relaxed just the tiniest bit.  
  
Then the most God awful, blood-curdling howl shrieked through the forest.  
  
Tea screamed in terror, clinging to Yami's arm. Yami's eyes widened and stood his ground, prepared to fight off any onslaught. 'What sort of demon can make a cry like that?!' he thought wildly.  
  
The cry continued for an eternity before slowly dying out. There was silence for three seconds. Then a new sound echoed through the forest. Human laughter. It was cruel, mocking, and more than a little insane but it was human laughter nonetheless.  
  
The laughter was joined by words, gasped in between breaths. "Oh, that was incredible!" the voice cackled. "I haven't done something like that in years! I'd forgotten how much fun it could be. Look at your faces!" The voice descended into manic cackles again.  
  
A shape strolled from the shadows of the forest. The shape coalesced into the figure of a woman. Regaining her breath, Tea scowled when she recognised the woman. "You!" she spat. "What do you want?"  
  
Zev Crawford shrugged and leaned lazily against a tree. "What do any of us want, really?"  
  
"Well, I for one want to know why you just jumped out from nowhere, screaming like a demon and scaring the wits out of us!"  
  
"Fair enough. I like scaring people. I find it funny." Zev fanned herself lightly with one hand. "For some reason though, other people don't share my sense of humour."  
  
"You're sick!"  
  
"No. I'm eccentric. There's a big difference." Zev shrugged and eyed Tea calculatingly. "So you've obviously managed to survive through the first day. And you've got four star chips I see. Not bad. I've got four chips myself." She waved her hand carelessly and her chips sparkled in the firelight.  
  
"What? Couldn't you find anymore helpless victims than that?" Tea snapped.  
  
"Actually, I just started looking a little while ago." She smirked carelessly. "You wouldn't believe how much fun it is to surprise unsuspecting duellists in the dark. It's almost as much fun as beating them."  
  
Tea snorted. "You really are sick!"  
  
"What kind of fiend challenges unsuspecting duellists in the dark?!" Yami snapped, a vein popping out of his forehead. "You're nothing but a cowardly bully!"  
  
Now Zev turned her attention to the pharaoh, her smirk becoming more focused as she took him in. "I'd watch yourself if I were you." She cautioned. "You may be the King of Games in Domino, but you're on my turf now."  
  
"I'm not afraid of you Crawford, no matter how much you'd like me to be." Yami pointed at her accusingly. "If this wasn't a girls only tournament, I'd teach you a lesson."  
  
"Don't let that stand in your way Yami-boy." Her smirk had transformed into a big sinister grin that sparked memories in Tea. "Only girls are allowed to wager star chips. The rules don't say we're the only ones who can duel."  
  
Tea grabbed Yami's arm before he could answer. "Yami, you don't have to duel her. She's dangerous, and...well, I don't want to see you hurt!"  
  
Yami smiled at Tea and her knees turned to jelly. "Thank you Tea" he said softly, "But I'm not about to allow her to get away with bullying you. You're so much better than that."  
  
Tea could only gap as her heart fluttered.  
  
Yami faced Zev, glaring righteously at her. "I hereby challenge you to a duel!"  
  
Zev threw her head back and laughed her distinctive manic laughter as the arena rose from the ground. "I guess now you'll learn why I'm the Dark Destroyer!"  
  
Yugi and Akki arrived just when the two duellists were settled in their booths. They had been gathering water from the concession stand and had just arrived now. Seeing the rising duelling arena, they dropped the jug of water they were dragging where it stood and rushed over to where Tea stood agonising. "Tea? What's going on?" Yugi asked.  
  
"Yami challenged Zev Crawford to a duel!" Tea was near heart attack with worry for Yami.  
  
Tea's diminutive friend looked puzzled. "Isn't she that girl from the boat?"  
  
Akki's hair nearly stood on end. "Zev Crawford?! This is insane! Nobody beats her, especially not on a field like this! Yami's good, but I don't think he's ever met a duellist like her before!"  
  
Yugi 'hmm'ed. "I don't think Yami's in too much trouble" he said slowly, "But you never know. This whole setting in the darkness reminds me an awful lot of Panik."  
  
Tea shuddered at the thought of the eliminator. "He nearly beat you two!"  
  
"I know." Yugi was grim-faced. "That's why I'm glad that he's duelled like this before."  
  
Up on the arena, things were getting warmed up.  
  
"I'll start things off, if you don't mind" Zev declared.  
  
Yami nodded. "Ladies first."  
  
"Ah good" Zev sneered. "So they really did have manners back n ancient Egypt."  
  
Yami blinked. 'What the?'  
  
"Lets turn down the lights, shall we? Castle of Dark Illusions (920/1980) in defence mode! I believe that you're familiar with its effect of covering the field in darkness."  
  
Yami scowled as Zev's side of the field was shrouded in darkness. "I've seen this trick before. I'll counter it with Celtic Guardian (1400/1200) in defence mode!"  
  
The warrior materialised, standing with his sword angled down over his head in a defensive stance.  
  
"I was hoping for better than THAT weakling!" Zev laughed as she lay down another monster, hidden in the dark. "He's no match for this card, let alone the might of my shadow deck! Now my monster, attack Celtic Guardian with Shadow Light!"  
  
Sinister black waves emanated from beyond the darkness. They struck Yami's monster, which shrieked and clutched his ears in agony before shattering.  
  
Zev laughed. "One shot and he's down for the count? I sure hope the rest of our duel won't be like this Yami boy! I thought you pharaohs were supposed to be good at this game."  
  
"My first move was a ploy" Yami countered confidently, "To see what kind of a duellist you are. I've seen your kind before and I know just how to deal with you."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Your Castle of Dark Illusions may have changed the field, but if I play a dark type monster I can still gain a power bonus! So, go Dark Magician!" The Dark Magician appeared with a flourish. "Now attack the castle with Dark Magic!"  
  
Dark Magician (3325/2800) thrust his staff forward, and fired a massive energy blast. It struck the castle and blasted it to rubble, showering pieces of rock onto the duelling arena below. Yami smiled victoriously. "Your cards can no longer hide in the darkness. You are exposed."  
  
"Am I? Guess again!"  
  
Yami frowned, as the darkness didn't lift. Then his amethyst eyes widened as a second Castle of Dark Illusions arose from Zev's field. Zev laughed.  
  
"You really thought I'd leave my field unprotected?"  
  
Yami smiled. "It figures. Cowardly bullies always hide behind something when somebody stands up to them. I've seen your whole strategy before, and it's not surprising. You're just like Panik; you're too afraid to fight in the open so you force your opponents into the dark."  
  
"You are SUCH an idiot!"  
  
Yami was taken aback by the scornful response. "What?"  
  
Zev stared at Yami intensely; the manic look in her eyes receding for a bit. "You never have respected other duellists much, have you? Don't bother denying it. I make it a habit to watch tapes of all the best duellists around. You like to trash your opponent's strategy during your duels. You may win a lot, but you never learned to respect your enemy. I do. I know how dangerous other duellists can be. And that's why I love beating them so much; they use everything they have to try and defeat me, but their best is no use and I love it." She smirked and her grey eyes resumed their sadistic light. "You really don't want to take me lightly. I learned to duel from the real master of Duel Monsters. I learned from my uncle, Maximilian Pegasus!"  
  
Akki gasped from the sidelines. "Oh my God! I'd heard the rumours, but I never even dreamed...that..." She trailed off, too shocked to convey words.  
  
Yugi froze. "Oh dear" he murmured.  
  
"Yami!" Tea yelled, "Be careful! She's no ordinary duellist!"  
  
Yami nodded in acknowledgement before glaring at Zev, who was humming cheerfully as she surveyed her hand. "It doesn't matter who you're related to. I beat Pegasus and I can beat you too!"  
  
"You weren't listening when I said not to take me lightly, were you?" Zev snapped. She drew a card and smiled at the sight of it. "Just because the shadows are my tool and ally doesn't mean I'm afraid to stand in the light! I play Swords of Revealing Light!"  
  
Yami shielded his eyes, which had become used to the darkness. Now the entire field was brightened with a brilliant light as swords rained down and blocked his Dark Magician. It also illuminated Zev's field and he could now see a facedown card she had played in the darkness. 'What is she up to?' he thought. 'She's taken away her advantage just to prove a point?'  
  
"Of course" Zev continued as she played a monster, "The field power bonus for dark types is gone. But that's okay. My Summoned Skull (2500/1200) is now just as strong as your Dark Magician." The fierce skull demon arose from the depths of Hell, howling its battle cry and facing off against Yami's monster. "And now that the field is covered with light, lets make some shadows! Go Shadowspell!"  
  
Chains lashed down from the sky and bound the Dark Magician tightly. He struggled but his attack was drained down to 1800. Zev cackled with delight. "Summoned Skull, attack with Lightning Strike!"  
  
Yami (1300 LP) winced as the Summoned Skull blew his favourite card to atoms. "I'm not finished yet! I'll defend with this monster!"  
  
"And I'll destroy that one too! Lightning Strike!"  
  
Yami's Four Star Ladybug of Doom (800/1200) went the way of his Dark Magician. He drew again and studied his hand. "I'll play Despell to destroy your Swords of Revealing Light. Next I'll play one card facedown and summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior (1400/1700) in attack mode!" He smiled. "And that ends my turn."  
  
Zev frowned for a moment then smiled again. "Clever, but it won't work. You don't have any trap card down. It's just a worthless throwaway card designed to throw me off. Well bucko, it won't work. Especially since my Summoned Skull is now powered up with the dark bonus! But to be on the safe side, I'll set two cards facedown. Now attack that Magnet Warrior! Show him whose boss!"  
  
"Actually, it was a trap. A Magical Hats trap, to be precise. You just wasted your attack!" The hat on the right was destroyed revealing nothing. Yami smiled. "You only have three hats to go. Make your next attack count. And in the meantime, I'll switch my Magnet Warrior into defence mode."  
  
"That won't save you Yami-boy!" Zev stretched and smirked. "Now I'll summon Beast of Gilfer (2200/2500) to join my Summoned Skull. Now my monsters attack the Magnet Warrior under the right and left hand hats!"  
  
Beast of Gilfer destroyed the right hand hat to no effect, but the skull got lucky and destroyed the Magnet Warrior on its attack. The remaining hats vanished, leaving Yami as he had been before.  
  
Except for one difference. He was smiling. "I've assembled the cards I need to win this duel. I play Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700)! Your field power bonus boosts her up to 2600 attack points, my Dark Magician in the graveyard increases her to 2900, and I'll add Magic Formula to increase her attack by another 500, so her attack is now 3400! Now I'll destroy the castle! She'll lose her power bonus but she's still at 2800 attack points."  
  
Dark Magician Girl smiled happily and blasted the castle to bits. The lack of a power bonus left her the strongest card on the field. Zev growled.  
  
"Alright Yami!" Tea cheered. "You've got her on the ropes now!"  
  
Zev then smiled. "You may have the strongest monster, but you're desperate. No one puts that many power ups on a monster; it's too wasteful. So I'll call your bluff. Attack Beast of Gilfer!"  
  
Beast of Gilfer launched its flame attack at Dark Magician Girl. She dodged, leapt to the side of the fiend, pointed her wand right between its eyes and...  
  
The explosion rocked the clearing. Akki was knocked off her feet, but fortunately she landed on an already prone Yugi. Tea stumbled against the side of the arena and Yami shielded his face from flying shrapnel before his eyes widened in alarm.  
  
"Oh no! You sacrificed your monster and your lifepoints to weaken my Dark Magician Girl!"  
  
Zev (1400 LP) nodded. "You're obviously aware of Beast of Gilfer's ability to weaken a monster when it's sent to the graveyard. He'll steal 500 points off your Dark Magician Girl (2300/1700) and my Summoned Skull will finish her off!"  
  
Another blast shook the clearing, and Yami (1000 LP) growled in disbelief.  
  
"And now" Zev said smugly, "I'll summon Dark Necrofear (2200/2800) in attack mode. Your move."  
  
Yami drew and relaxed again. "I summon Kuriboh (300/200) in defence mode and play Multiply!"  
  
The fuzz ball appeared, only to multiply. And multiply. And continue to multiply. Soon Yami's entire field was covered with Kuribohs. He was totally unreachable. Tea cheered. "Good move Yami!"  
  
"Thanks Tea!"  
  
"Aw! How sweet. Was this what Mai meant when she called Tea the Queen of Games?" Zev smirked at their sudden blush. "But enough of that. Since she's best in defence, and to draw this out a bit, I'll switch Dark Necrofear to defence mode. Now I'll attack with Summoned Skull!"  
  
Yami shook his head as Zev launched her attack. "You can only destroy one Kuriboh at a time."  
  
"Maybe at first, but now I play Mirror Force to reflect my attack!"  
  
The Skull's lighting attack struck against a magical mirror, which reflected the attack back. This confused Yami. "What are you doing? Why are you reflecting your own attack back at yourself?"  
  
Akki stared again. "I heard she was crazy, but this!"  
  
"Did you not notice my facedown card? Take this! Doppleganger!"  
  
The cartoon weasel thing leapt from its card, cackled a bit, and then took form. Another sparkling mirror appeared on the field. Zev's deflected attack struck it and fired back.  
  
Zev condescended to explain. "Summoned Skull could destroy only one Kuriboh per turn. But when Mirror Force reflects an attack, it destroys all monsters on the other player's field. The only problem is that Mirror Force sends an attack back the way it came. So what's the answer? Two Mirror Forces! And since it destroys all the monsters on your field..." The blast struck the mass of Kuriboh with a wailing crash. When the smoke cleared, they were all gone. Zev grinned. "...You have no more Kuriboh left to Multiply." Her voice turned challenging. "Make your last move so I can finish you off!"  
  
Yami frowned grimly. 'There are no monsters in my hand. If I don't pick the right card, it's curtains for me. This could be it.' He drew and his eyes lit up. "Yes! Say goodbye to my fiend army as I play Exile of the Wicked! It destroys them all!"  
  
Zev screamed as her Summoned Skull and Dark Necrofear were banished to the graveyard. "My monsters! My precious fiends! You'll pay for that, you little runt!"  
  
"Alright Yami!" Tea cheered. "You've almost got her!"  
  
"Nice work Yami!" Yugi shouted, pumping his fist in the air.  
  
Akki stared. "Exile of the Wicked. Of course! I don't know why nobody has thought of it before!"  
  
Zev turned and glared down at Akki, making her cower. "That's because it's been tried before. It didn't work and I destroyed that runt who used it!" She returned to glaring at Yami. "You may have destroyed my monsters, but I still have my most powerful fiend. My Dark Ruler Ha Des (2450/1600)!"  
  
Ha Des arose from the field and faced off against Yami, laughing evilly. It was not unlike Zev's own laugh, actually.  
  
'Go ahead and attack' Yami thought. 'My own Mirror Force Trap will take you out.'  
  
"I hope that's not an important trap you have facedown, because I'm going to destroy it." Zev slapped down a magic card. "Go Mystical Space Typhoon!"  
  
Yami's last hope was vaporised is a burst of wind. He could only stare in shock.  
  
"Now" Zev said, "I'm only going to give you one chance to give up now. If you don't, I'll just take you out the hard way."  
  
"I will not give up Crawford" Yami whispered.  
  
Zev shrugged. "Suit yourself. Ha Des, go do that voodoo that you do so well!"  
  
Dark Ruler opened fire with his Black Magic Strike. Yami's lifepoints were instantly reduced to zero and the holographic arena shut down.  
  
Afterwards, Zev stood and watched Yami stand in shock while Tea held him and whispered soothingly.  
  
"It's okay Yami," she whispered into his ear. "It's just one duel. It doesn't mean anything."  
  
Akki was nearly hysterical. "I can't believe it! The King of Games lost!"  
  
"That's why he's in such a shock now." Yugi's face was sad. "He's never lost before and it's a huge blow to his confidence."  
  
"Down after one loss? That's just pathetic."  
  
"What do you expect?" a new voice growled. "I always knew he was a weakling."  
  
Bakura materialised from the dark forest, grinning like a fiend. "I'd hoped I'd see you shot down one day, and I'm glad my hopes came true. Thanks to my lovely friend here." His eyes scanned Zev's figure and he licked his lips. She smirked.  
  
"Down boy", she admonished, shaking her finger. "Now that this business is done, I'll be off. I trust that the rest of you are happy?"  
  
Tea glared at Zev furiously. "No I'm not, you bitch!"  
  
Yugi stared at Tea. He had no idea Tea used such language. Neither did Bakura apparently, because his smirk was gone and his eyes were bulging. Zev looked at the dancer right in her brown eyes, soft yet filled with rage.  
  
Tea continued. "Yami doesn't deserve what you did to him! He doesn't deserve to be made a toy in some stupid game of yours! Is this why you duel? So you can see people like him broken up inside? Hmph! If anyone is broken up on the inside it's you! You've lost your soul and you're taking it out on everyone around you. I can understand this and I can forgive an awful lot but you made the mistake of going after someone who I care about." She pointed accusingly at the target of her wrath. "All I can say is to watch your back Crawford, because I'm gunning for you now!"  
  
Silence echoed through the clearing following Tea's pronouncement. The look on Zev's face was hard to interpret. She seemed furious, her hand clenched into a fist. But in the depths of her eyes there was a sadness that spoke volumes in an unknown language. All she said was "I look forward to it." Then she turned around and stalked from the clearing into the forest. Bakura bowed mockingly to Yami and followed her.  
  
"Bitch" Tea muttered one last time. Then she returned to soothing Yami. She'd get Crawford later, but for now this was most important.  
  
***  
  
Tea: Holy crap! Is Yami going to be alright???  
  
Magicman: You'll just have to wait and see, won't you? *Cough*Yes*cough*.  
  
Tea: Yay! ^_^  
  
Pegasus: I have relatives? Oh this is so wonderful! I must plan a reunion and stuff!  
  
Magicman: Until next time my readers, don't run with scissors! 


	7. Tea vs Akumu Kino: a blast from the past

Tea's Time to Shine  
  
Magicman: Hey BECA, guess who's in this chapter?  
  
Joey: Oh! Oh! I know! It's her, isn't it?  
  
Pegasus: *to Tea* I thought that was implied.  
  
Tea: It was.  
  
Pegasus: Ah.  
  
Magicman: Anyway, as to a comment about Zev, she's not the type of duellist to cheat. It's just not her style. And I still maintain that Pegasus does not cheat.  
  
Joey: Oh boy. Here he goes again. Why don't you guys read the chapter? Hopefully he'll be ranted out by then.  
  
***  
  
"Hey Yugi! How've you been?"  
  
Yugi looked over to the other end of the concession stand and smiled. "Hi Serenity! What brings you here?"  
  
The roan-haired girl slid through the crowd, balancing a burger, some onion rings and a small Coke on a tray, to come to a stop in front of Yugi. "I'm just taking some alone time. Joey and Mai... They're so cute together, but it can get a bit much."  
  
"That bad?"  
  
Serenity shuddered. "Last night, I caught them having sex on a picnic table. I swear, I will be having nightmares about that when I'm sixty-five."  
  
Yugi shuddered in sympathy. "I think I can sympathise."  
  
"Yeah. But at least it gives me a chance to talk to Rex." Serenity beamed. "He's supposed to meet me here at 8:00AM."  
  
"Rex Raptor?"  
  
Serenity waved a hand in dismissal. "It's a long story. So what are you doing here? I figured you'd be with Yami and Tea."  
  
Yugi seemed to sober a bit. "Yesss" he said, drawing out the word. "I'm just getting water. As for Yami, he had a bad experience with another duellist. Tea is consoling him back at the camp." He couldn't help it, but he sounded slightly jealous to his ears.  
  
"Is he alright?" Serenity asked, concerned.  
  
Yugi smiled. "Knowing Tea, he'll be feeling better by nightfall."  
  
***  
  
Tea was rummaging through her backpack for some breakfast. She came up with a handful of granola bars. Unwrapping one, she shoved it into her mouth as she grabbed the others, a thermos of coffee she had packed, and two mugs. Burdened by this load, she made her way over to Yami on a log. The ex-pharaoh was peering up at the late-morning sky thoughtfully when Tea clambered down beside him.  
  
"You know" he said slowly, "I've been thinking about last night. In five thousand years, that was the first time I ever actually lost."  
  
Tea was still chewing on her granola bar so she couldn't answer. She listened attentively though.  
  
"I used to hear from people that you learn more from losing than from winning. I always thought those people were just trying to cover up for their losing. But come to think of it, this is actually rather relieving."  
  
"How so?" Tea asked, swallowing. She began to unscrew the lid of the thermos and pour out some coffee as Yami spoke.  
  
"After spending all that time in the puzzle, I was losing my sense of self. I was a part of the magic rather than a separate being. Even when I got to duel with Yugi, it was always as if I was a part of his doing. When I got out, things got better but I was still the pharaoh from ancient Egypt, not an ordinary human being." He smiled self-mockingly. "I guess I needed Crawford to knock me off my high-horse."  
  
"That's the spirit! Take life's troubles head on and roll with the punches." Tea handed Yami some coffee. "Here you go," she said. "Plenty of milk and sugar."  
  
Yami took a sip of the drink and made a face. "No matter how many times I try it, coffee still tastes like camel milk. I could never stand camel milk as a child."  
  
Tea laughed and sipped her own drink.  
  
"What I'm not sure about" Yami mused, holding his mug, "Is how Crawford knew I was from ancient Egypt."  
  
Tea shrugged. "She said that she's Pegasus' niece. He probably told her."  
  
"And then, there are those of us who knew him back in the day."  
  
Tea sighed. Without turning around, she asked sarcastically "Don't tell me. Let me guess. Its yet another crazy duellist out for blood."  
  
"Oh, a smart ass eh? Why don't you put your deck where your mouth is."  
  
Tea turned around and eyed the newcomer coolly. She was standing at the edge of the clearing. A black cape concealed most of her body but her face was framed by a mass of deep black hair and her green eyes regarded her with contempt. Yami turned too and frowned at what he saw.  
  
"You look familiar." He said. "Why do you look familiar?"  
  
The girl smirked at the ex-pharaoh and said nothing.  
  
At this time, Akki walked into the camp, lugging a load of firewood. Seeing the brewing confrontation, she stopped in confusion. She watched the newcomer and recognition appeared in her eyes. "Akumu? What are-OW!" With her attention off her feet, she immediately tripped. She collapsed under the weight of the firewood and was pelted by it as she his the ground.  
  
All eyes turned to her as she struggled to her feet. The new girl, apparently Akumu, sighed, her eyes taking on a suddenly exasperated look. "Akki. I wondered if I'd run into you." She turned to Tea and Yami, who was still puzzled, and gestured. "I see you've already met my sister."  
  
Tea stared incredulously. "You're telling me that you two are related? No offence, but that's a little hard to believe."  
  
Akumu Kino nodded. "Granted. I'm what you might call the black sheep of the family."  
  
Back on her feet, Akki snorted. "You can say that again. The rest of us are nice, friendly, and sane, not to mention-"  
  
"Simple" Akumu broke in, "Ordinary, and lacking any real ambition!"  
  
"It's clear that there's a lot of sisterly love here." Tea noted.  
  
Before either could start yelling, Yami snapped his fingers in frustration. "Damn it! I can't figure it out. I know you from somewhere, but it's no good!"  
  
Akumu turned back to Yami, her long hair swishing behind her. She grinned, clearly enjoying the situation. "Still don't remember? I'll give you a hint. Think back five thousand years."  
  
Akki shook her head in frustration. "Haven't you grown out of that yet?!"  
  
"What?" Tea asked.  
  
"Akumu has it in her head that she's a reincarnation of sorts." Akki's voice was laced with resignation. "Apparently she used to be a slave in some Egyptian court years back. Personally, I always knew she was crazy."  
  
"A slave? In Egypt?" Yami's eyes suddenly widened with incredulous recognition. "Ziane?!"  
  
"And he got it in one, ladies and gentlemen!" Akumu crowed. "Give the man a prize!" Suddenly her hand appeared from out her cape and chucked something at Yami's head with a lightning quick movement.  
  
"Ow!" Yami rubbed his forehead where the rock had hit him. "What was that for?"  
  
"Could it be possible that you truly don't remember?" Akumu's voice was sarcastic but the slightest bit puzzled as well. "Ah, I understand now. The rumours were true. You really were locked in that Puzzle, weren't you? That was what made you lose your memory and forget all about little old me. Well then, let me refresh the dingy corners of your mind. Do you remember the temple of Ra? After the midsummer's festival? The one where Seth got so drunk he had to be carried home?"  
  
Yami looked blank for a moment. Then a guilty flush crept up his face. "Oh. That."  
  
"Yes. That."  
  
"Now Ziane, just calm down. I can explain-"  
  
"Oh I'm sure you could! But I'm not going to hear it! You ruined my life, you know. You have no idea what happened to me after that night!"  
  
"Yes" Yami said softly. "I did."  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Tea yelled out, waving her arms. When everyone's attention was on her, she took a breath and continued. "Let me see if I understand the situation. You", she pointed to Akumu, "Are the reincarnated form of Yami's old girlfriend, whose name was Ziane."  
  
"Actually, I was his slave." Akumu corrected. "But yes, there was a relationship going on between us."  
  
"Okay" Tea continued. "Now it seems that this relationship broke up in ignominy. Now you're here as Akumu, and you're still pissed off." She looked over at Akki. "Am I crazy or does this make sense to you too?"  
  
"Don't look at me," Akki muttered, "I'm still shocked that she was actually right about the reincarnation thing."  
  
Tea turned back to Akumu. "And your purpose for coming here and throwing that rock at Yami's head is?"  
  
"To let him know that I'm still around, and that given a chance I'll make his life Hell." Akumu tossed a strand of hair back over her shoulder.  
  
"Now that's where you're wrong," Tea corrected. "To get to Yami, you're going to have to go through me."  
  
Akumu raised an eyebrow and looked at Yami. "Protecting your boyfriend?"  
  
"Protecting my friend!" Tea snapped. "Beyond that is none of your business."  
  
"Ooh! Snappy, are we?" The reincarnated duellist snickered. "Alright then. If you're that insistent I'll go straight through you to get to him! One duel for all our star chips. Sound good to you?"  
  
"Just perfect."  
  
"Tea-" Yami started but stopped when she held up a hand.  
  
"Don't interrupt please," she asked. "I have to do this." Yami could only nod.  
  
Turning back to Akumu, she glared at her righteously. "Are you ready to duel?"  
  
Akumu laughed as the platform rose from the ground. "I was born ready."  
  
The duellists shuffled their decks and prepared to go. Tea won the ensuing coin toss and examined her starting hand carefully. 'Dark Magician' she thought. 'Good card. But she has thousands of years of experience. I'll have to move fast to beat her.'  
  
"What is taking so long?" Akumu taunted. "Scared already?"  
  
"Good moves take time!" Tea snapped back. "Dark Magician in attack mode! And I set two cards facedown!"  
  
Akumu smirked at the tall magician. "It seems that you read my mind."  
  
"What the heck are you talking about?"  
  
"My deck is based around the Dark Magician. His sheer firepower supported by the magical skills of my deck make for a very hard to beat combination." Akumu said all this as she played her own Dark Magician. "So forgive me if I sound arrogant, but I'm not too worried about you beating me at my own game. Especially when I equip him with Butterfly Dagger!"  
  
A gleaming blue dagger appeared in Akumu's Dark Magician's hand. The reincarnated slave smiled. "It increases his attack power by 300 points. Enough to take down your Dark Magician! Go Dark Magic Attack!"  
  
Akumu's purple robed Dark Magician blasted Tea's red Dark Magician to atoms and dropping her life points by 300. Tea growled. "You just destroyed your own Dark Magician too. My Michizure trap ensures that!"  
  
Without warning, the ground collapsed beneath Akumu's monster. She shrugged. "No matter. I play Monster Reborn to bring him back to the field. And I'll re-equip him with Butterfly Dagger."  
  
Tea was stunned. "But that was sent to the graveyard."  
  
"Yes, but it that happens after it has been equipped, it returns to my hand."  
  
Tea sighed. "So are you done yet? Good. I'll play Monster Reborn too. Now we both have a Dark Magician again. Next I'll activate my facedown card, Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Butterfly Dagger."  
  
Akumu scowled. "Are you that desperate? I'll just replay it next turn."  
  
"Right" Tea acknowledged. "But for now it's helpless in your hand. So I play Card Destruction to get rid of it!"  
  
Both players sent their cards to the graveyards and redrew. Tea focussed on one card in particular. "Now I'll play Pot of Greed to let me draw two new cards and examine my options." She looked at her new hand and smiled. "I'll play Swords of Revealing Light and set one card facedown. Your move."  
  
Akumu scowled. "You are becoming very annoying. So take this! A Thousand Knives!"  
  
A large pack of knives materialised in Akumu's monster's hands. It threw them with unerring accuracy, scything towards Tea's Dark Magician. Suddenly a glowing blue shield appeared between the monster and the projectiles. They clattered to a halt.  
  
"You activated Spell Shield Type 8, which destroys any spell that targets my monster."  
  
"Then if I can't destroy you just yet, I'll wait you out. Go."  
  
Tea drew and ended her turn. None of her cards would help at the moment. She could only wait.  
  
Akumu looked at her cards too. "I'll play one card facedown" she said. "Just in case. Be my guest."  
  
"In that case I'll play one card down too." Tea lifted another card and played it face up. "Next I'll equip Axe of Despair to my Dark Magician. It outranks your Butterfly Dagger by 700 points, bringing my monster up to 3500 attack points strong!"  
  
Akumu waved a hand airily. "Well if you think it will help, go ahead and attack."  
  
"I will! Dark Magician, use the power of the Axe of Despair and destroy her monster!"  
  
Akumu laughed. "You fell into my trap! Magical Hats materialise!"  
  
Tea's Dark Magician paused in confusion at the four hats that suddenly concealed his counterpart. He raised the axe and slashed through the hat on the right. Nothing.  
  
Akumu danced about, cackling with glee. "That was always my favourite combo! Wheee! Just try and find him now! And if you're done, I'll place a card under one of those hats!"  
  
'Ah great' Tea groused to herself.  
  
"But that's not all! Now I'll play Ectoplasmer. Using its magic, I'll sacrifice my Dark Magician's soul to deal 1250 points of damage to your lifepoints!"  
  
"What?!" Tea barely noticed as the ectoplasm struck her and threw her against the rails of the booth. "You sucked out your Dark Magician's soul just to deal damage to me?" She gestured wildly at her lifepoint counter, which read 450. "That's just sick!"  
  
"Why? They're just cards. Oh." Suddenly Akumu looked disgusted. "You're like Yami, aren't you? You believe in that ridiculous Heart of the Cards thing, don't you? If you can explain to me exactly how a card can have a heart and a soul, then maybe, just maybe I'll believe it!"  
  
Akki raised an eyebrow at Yami. "You used to go out with her?"  
  
Yami shrugged. "She always was literal minded. It was one of her charms."  
  
"Well, charming or not Tea looks like she's in trouble."  
  
"Don't worry about Tea. I know she can win. She's duelled some tough duellists, but she always manages to make it out ahead." Yami smiled. He was so proud of her.  
  
Akumu heard him and threw him a sweet smile. "Well maybe She had better hurry up, because now I activate the Shallow Grave to bring back my Dark Magician and hide him under a hat. All she can do now is guess, and she only has 450 lifepoints left! And my Ectoplasmer is still in play. Next turn I can activate it again and finish her off once and for all. And I have full health. There's no way she can bring me down in one turn!"  
  
"'She' is still waiting for you to end your turn." Tea said sarcastically. "And the game isn't over yet."  
  
"It may as well be! My magical hats are still hiding my Dark Magician and one of my traps. You still have only a one in three chance of attacking the right hat! And it will be all over next turn Tea!"  
  
Akumu laughed. "You're finished! And there's nothing that you can do about it!"  
  
***  
  
Joey: Whoa. Talk about bad guys. She really creeps me out.  
  
Magicman: I mean, if Yami, Ishizu, and Marik can use their millennium items to duel, why can't Pegasus?  
  
Joey: Are you still going on about that?  
  
Magicman: Yes.  
  
Joey: Ah. Oh well then. See you next time gang! 


	8. Tea vs Akumu Kino part 2: revelations

Tea's Time to Shine  
  
Magicman: I'm back. Excellent. Now, where was I?  
  
Tea: Akumu and I were going head to head, she set up Ectoplasmer and Magical Hats, and was going to use it next turn.  
  
Magicman: Oh yeah.  
  
Pegasus: The freshest fruit juice, Gorgonzola cheese, and a good duel to watch. This is indeed the way to live. *Sips his fruit juice*  
  
Joey: *devouring pepperoni pizza*  
  
***  
  
"You're done" Akumu laughed. "This match is over! Next turn, I'll just sacrifice my Dark Magician for Ectoplasmer and finish you off."  
  
True" Tea admitted. "If you still had Ectoplasmer. But now I'll destroy it by flipping Magician of Faith!"  
  
Tea's magician appeared suddenly. She waved her wand and a light shone as Tea drew a magic card from her graveyard. Akumu was livid. "Cheater! You didn't have that monster on the field last turn!"  
  
"Your Shallow Grave changed that. You forgot one rule. It brings back a monster from both our graveyards."  
  
"What?!" Akumu snatched up the card and scanned it. "Uh oh."  
  
"Not so talented, eh Akumu?" Tea asked cheerfully. "Now I'll set one card face down", she put the last card in her hand on the field in the magic and trap zone, "And attack one of your hats. Go Dark Magician!" The spellcaster blasted away the hat on the right. "Now it's down to just two of your hats. Your move."  
  
Akumu drew and frowned as she studied the field. 'What could she be up to?' she thought quickly. 'She's left her Magician of Faith wide open. If I attack it, she's done for. But then there's her facedown card, which I doubt I can trust. Hmm.' Tea's face was pleasantly smiling, revealing nothing. Aloud, she said, "I'll switch my Dark Magician to attack mode, but I won't attack."  
  
"Okay then. I won't attack either. Let's see who cracks first."  
  
"I'll crack you, alright" Akumu shot back. "I'll crack you to pieces!"  
  
Yami watched the duel with trepidation. Of all the occurrences he'd ever thought to witness, Tea duelling the reincarnation of his old lover was not particularly high on his list.  
  
"Who do you think is going to win?" Akki asked as she watched Tea deliberate her move. "Akumu's always been a pretty nasty duellist."  
  
"Tea will win" Yami said firmly. "I have no doubt of that. She's proven herself to be resourceful in times of adversity. Look, she's smiling."  
  
Tea was indeed smiling. "Two hats" she counted. "That's a fifty-fifty chance. So why not even it out a bit? I play Wingweaver (2750/2450) in attack mode!"  
  
The six-winged fairy arose on the field, floating in the air peacefully. Akumu growled at her appearance. "Now Wingweaver, attack the hat on the left and smack down her dark Magician with Nova Smash!"  
  
Wingweaver's wings started to flap harder and the light from the sun intensified in her hands. The light grew ever brighter until Akumu was forced to squint. Then the fairy monster hurtled the beam of light directly into the right hand hat. But when the explosion cleared, once again there was nothing. The slave reincarnate smirked.  
  
"You missed again. You're having some terrible luck."  
  
Tea snorted. "Yeah right. You only have one hat left, right? So your Dark magician must be under it. So I'll just attack it next turn with Wingweaver and smack you down with Dark Magician."  
  
"You're just giving me another turn to fight back, you know."  
  
"I couldn't destroy you this turn anyway, so you may as well go."  
  
"Fair enough. It's your funeral." Akumu drew and frowned. 'This wasn't hat I was hoping for. But it will do. She has three monsters so I can't touch her lifepoints. But maybe I can get her to fall for my trap.' "I play one card facedown," Akumu declared, and a spot on the field began to flash. "I'll finish my turn by doing absolutely nothing." She shrugged lazily. "I'm afraid that I just didn't draw the right card. I'm practically throwing the game but I don't have much choice. All I can do now is attack, so I'll begin by destroying your Magician of Faith. Attack with Dark Magic!"  
  
As Akumu's Dark Magician powered up, Tea let out a laugh of victory. "You set off my trap. Go Mirror Force!"  
  
The attack was reflected with a resounding crack. It whistled toward Akumu's Dark Magician.  
  
"And that", Tea said carelessly, "As they say is that."  
  
"Not quite." Akumu countered. "I have a facedown card too, remember? It's called Ring of Destruction, and it destroys one monster on the field, dealing damage to both of our lifepoints equal to its attack power. Can you guess what that means?"  
  
"It means the whole duel winds up as a draw, as I'm targeting your Wingweaver with my trap!"  
  
A tight collar wrapped around the fairy's neck. Despite her thrashing, she could not free herself. The collar began to glow brilliantly before it exploded. The ensuing flash covered the field with smoke and both duellists' lifepoints dropped to zero. The holograms faded and Akumu brushed the dust off her cloak.  
  
"Well, well" she said. "A tie game. You don't see that every day. I guess we both keep our star chips, hmm?"  
  
"I guess so. I've never seen a tie before." Tea shrugged. "Then it's back to where we started off."  
  
"Not quite." Akumu smiled coldly. "I still haven't forgiven Yami for what he did to me. I'm just going to be more patient about paying him back. Now that I know what his little girlfriend can do, I can afford to wait." She bowed mockingly to Tea. "See you in the finals."  
  
Akki snorted. "At least you're turning your crazy plans on someone other than me. Living with her is like giving a monkey dynamite and matches", she added to Yami and Tea. "You just know that something is going to happen."  
  
While Akki was griping, a mischievous smile crept over her sister's face. Akumu slid quietly up behind her and whacked her upside the head.  
  
"Ow!"  
  
"You're still too slow, sis!" Laughing, Akumu took off into the forest. Furious, Akki tore after her. She looked back and waved. "See you guys later!"  
  
Tea let out a breath. She was glad that little fight was over.  
  
***  
  
"So what's the deal with you two anyway?"  
  
Tea asked the question while she was cooking lunch. She was trying to perfect Joey's method of cooking candy bars, but the black crispiness slowly forming on the food suggested that she needed practice. Yami was lying back on the grass, thoughtfully looking up at the clouds.  
  
"I still only remember bits and pieces of my past," he began, thinking, "But I'm beginning to recall her with some clarity. She was a slave, a gift for my birthday. I think it was my eighteenth. I remember thinking that her attitude would get her killed someday. She was like a dog that had been kicked around a lot but still had fight left." He smiled at the memory. "I took to her quickly and eventually she opened up to me. We became...intimate, I guess you could say." He self-consciously scratched his head. I was weird to talk to Tea about this.  
  
"Go on." Tea had given up on the cooking and was paying full attention to the story.  
  
"Well", Yami continued, "There was a war going on at the time. I think. It's still kind of vague. There was some political trouble at any rate. Anyway, to smooth things over an alliance by marriage was agreed upon. I would marry the princess of country there was trouble with. I waited until a week later to tell Akumu, or Ziane as I knew her then."  
  
"I'm guessing she didn't take it well."  
  
"Not at all. She was furious. And that's not all. The castle guards were always a brutish bunch, and they picked on the castle slaves. They always left Ziane alone because she was with me, but after that night they went after her with a vengeance. It got so bad that she wound up strangling one of the guards with her slave chain, and she fled the castle. I never saw her again."  
  
Tea had sat down next to the spike-haired duellist and was now watching him with sadness. "That's so sad."  
  
Yami shut his eyes tightly. "And the worst part of it is-"  
  
"No! Don't even say it!"  
  
Yami blinked in surprise, staring at Tea. The girl was glaring at him fiercely. "It was not your fault!" she snapped. "You had make a decision and you made the right one. If you weren't in a war, one could have started, right?"  
  
"Well, I suppose so."  
  
"Well there you go. You did your best, and it's not like you pushed her away or anything. It was just a political marriage anyway. How far could that go?"  
  
Yami hesitated. "To be honest, it took a while but I fell in love with her too."  
  
The words sucked the comments right out of Tea's mouth. Her mouth formed an 'O' and she fell silent. She lay down on the grass and joined him in looking up at the sky, feeling overly enlightened.  
  
Tea liked, REALLY liked, Yami. This whole Duellist Kingdom thing was so she could get closer to him and understand him better. Ever since that date Yugi had set up between the two of them, she understood that there was more to him than just a duelling deck and some spiky hair. He had a quiet, dignified personality that she rather liked, and she'd hoped that she would have a chance with him. But hearing about his past lovers was demoralizing at best. How could she compete with ghosts?  
  
He seemed to understand how she felt. Gently he took her hand and smiled. "They were both in another life, Tea", he reassured. "I can't live in the past. Whatever happened then, the present will be unaffected by it. This is a new life for me," he added softly. "A new chance to live and love again."  
  
Tea smiled back and squeezed his hand gently. "I hope you get that chance Yami. I really do."  
  
***  
  
Zev laughed as her monsters crushed another duellist's lifepoints. She collected her chips and went back to her campsite without a backward glance. She knew her ghostly colleague was following her.  
  
"You truly enjoy beating your opponents, don't you?"  
  
Zev just glanced at him and raised a smoke grey eyebrow. Bakura smiled as they walked. "I'll take that as a yes. I am curious. Whatever happened to make you this way?"  
  
The response was cold and callous. "Aren't we all tired of clichéd sad stories yet?"  
  
Bakura chuckled. "Ah. One of those, hmm? I've always wondered if I'd find someone with a life sufficiently deranged enough to be my equal."  
  
They walked on in silence, neither caring to talk. When they were about thrity feet from the camp, Zev suddenly grabbed Bakura's arm and stopped him. She stared into his burning brown eyes with her own cold grey ones. "Why do you bother following me around?" she asked in honest curiosity. "What is it about me that catches your attention?"  
  
"I don't know", the tomb robber answered honestly. "You just do."  
  
Zev snorted and let go of him. She turned and walked into the clearing, but not before throwing back one last parting shot. "That's supposed to be how love starts."  
  
The words froze Bakura in his steps.  
  
***  
  
Magicman: Not as long as I'd like, but at least I ended on an interesting note. I'll go more into those two as things develop.  
  
Pegasus: *watching Yami and Tea snuggle* I used to be young like that...  
  
Joey: The guy's over 5000 years old! How the heck is he young?!  
  
Pegasus: Well...  
  
Smokegirl: Hey, what's my character's past like, anyway? You never told me.  
  
Magicman: All will be revealed when it is the proper time.  
  
Smokegirl: -_-' You really get a kick out of this mystical stuff,  
  
Magicman: ^_// Yep! 


	9. Tea vs Chikara Takashi: the controller

Tea's Time to Shine  
  
Magicman: Who's up for more duelling?  
  
(Crickets chirp.)  
  
Magicman: *Swats crickets with fly swatter* Anyone ELSE not want to read the fic?  
  
(Everyone ignores Magicman and continues on with their business.)  
  
Magicman: -_//' Ah whatever. Lets just get started. By the way, this is where I start introducing cards I make up.  
  
***  
  
"Hey you! Are you a duelist?"  
  
Tea and the gang was currently hanging out by a river. The dueling girl had discarded her clothes for a bathing suit and was swimming happily through the water. Yami was sleeping on the bank and Yugi was trying to pick an apple out of a nearby tree. It was kind of funny, watching him jump up a lot, trying to grab the bottom branch. He actually managed to snag it before the shout distracted him and he fell on his butt. Standing up and rubbing said butt, he looked over at the shouter.  
  
The duelling gauntlet gave away her purpose. This duellist seemed normal enough though. Not like Akumu or Zev. Tea was relieved; she'd had enough of crazy duellists for a while. "Yeah, I'm a duellist. What's up?"  
  
The other girl walked over to the edge of the river and stood there with her hands on her hips. "I challenge you to a duel! Get out of there so I can beat you."  
  
Tea groaned. "Oh come on! Today was going to be my day off!"  
  
"Too bad." The girl looked over at the forest. "Will you guys hurry up?!"  
  
From the forest stumbled another two people, a boy and a girl. The trio looked about 13 and they had uniformly brown hair. The girls had green eyes and the boy's were blue, but Yugi thought they were related.  
  
"Aw Chikara, don't be such a spoilsport", the boy whined. "Asuka and I were having fun!"  
  
"Speak for yourself." The other girl shivered. "These woods are creepy. When can we go home? It's just a stupid card game!"  
  
"Shh! Don't insult the game in front of Chikara," the boy stage whispered. "She'll go nuts and sick her monsters on you."  
  
The duellist girl rolled her eyes. "Koji, have I told you that you're an idiot today? But enough of that." She glared at Tea. "Are you going to duel or what?"  
  
Tea shrugged helplessly. "I don't know who I'm duelling!"  
  
The girl straightened. "I'm Chikara Takashi", she announced proudly.  
  
"I've never heard of you."  
  
Chikara scowled. "That doesn't matter! Just get ready to duel!"  
  
Tea sighed and floated on her back for a bit. "Are you sure you couldn't wait a bit? I REALLY wanted to relax for a while before my next duel."  
  
"Why would you want to relax? You're in the middle of a tournament!" Then the look on Chikara's face soured. "Oh, I get it. You're one of those wannabe weaklings who are in it just to have a little thrill." She shook her head in disappointment. "It's people like you who ruin the sport. There's really no challenge in beating a weakling."  
  
"What was that?!"  
  
"You heard me, wannabe."  
  
Tea growled. "You've got some nerve telling that to a complete stranger! Do you enjoy ruining people's days or is it just an accident that you walked by to insult me?" Somehow she managed to look fierce, even while wearing a bathing suit. Chikara wasn't impressed.  
  
"You going to back up those words? Or are they as empty as your duelling talents?"  
  
Tea seemed just about to blow a gasket. Then she seemed to calm down and even smile. "Alright" she conceded, "You win. Lets duel. Yugi? My duelling deck, if you would."  
  
Yugi sighed at being dragged into this. He brought Tea her deck as the arena rose up. One glance told him that things would be interesting. Chikara's half was meadow, but Tea's was water. This would be good. As the girls got into their platforms, Chikara's companions came up to Yugi. Or rather, the boy did, dragging the girl behind him. In what seemed to be a tone of weary resignation, the bow began to apologise.  
  
"I'm sorry about my sister. She really takes her duelling too seriously, and she doesn't like people belittling the game. By the way, I'm Koji Takashi and this is my other sister Asuka. The three of us are triplets, you see."  
  
Yugi politely shook hands with the two. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Yugi, and my sleeping colleague," he chucked a thumb at Yami, who remained blissfully unaware of the proceedings, "is Yami. We're friends of Tea up there."  
  
Asuka yawned and glanced at her nails, bored. Clearly, she didn't care about the proceedings. Koji looked interested. "Is your friend any good? She'll have to be. Chikara really goes nuts when the duel starts. No mercy and all that. Besides, she's really good herself. She won the local championships back home. I tell you, she was never so insufferable as she was in the days after that. She was always showing off her medal and saying how she was going to be the best and all that. Sometimes I just wanted to throw something at her-"  
  
"Will you shut up for once?!" Asuka snapped. "It's bad enough that I have to hang around for the card games. I don't have to listen to your babbling either."  
  
Koji looked affronted. "I'm hurt! My dear sister, you really need to relax too. Get out and have fun for once! Life isn't always about money and boys, you know."  
  
"It's not about camping on rocks and getting bug bites either!"  
  
Yugi just kind of stared at the sibling interaction.  
  
Back on the duel field, Tea was sizing up the competition. "So, how many star chips do you want to bet?"  
  
"I have four stars now, but I'm going to double them when I beat you!" Chikara smiled as she lay down her wager. Tea nodded in agreement.  
  
"Fair enough. Four stars."  
  
This caught Yugi's attention suddenly. "Tea, are you sure that's a good idea? If you lose, you're out of the tournament!"  
  
"Don't worry Yugi. I have everything under control."  
  
"Control? You don't know what control means. Tea, is it? A pretty name." Chikara's smile turned mean. "The name of a weakling."  
  
"My friends don't think so", Tea shot back. "And their opinion actually matters to me. Do you have friends who'll back you up?"  
  
"It doesn't matter. There's only room for two in the duelling arena. Friendship is just a distraction to take your mind off what needs to be done."  
  
"And you don't see anything wrong with that?! You're insane!"  
  
"No, I'm just determined. But enough talk, wannabe. It's time to duel!"  
  
The trash talking done, the duel was under way at last. Tea flipped a coin and won, choosing to go first. The girls drew their starting hands and prepared to have it out.  
  
"I'll start off with Dancing Fairies (1700/1000) in attack mode" she called out, playing the card. The trio of fairies flew happily above the surface of the water, giggling and pirouetting with each other. Tea smiled at them. They were one of her favourite cards. "You move."  
  
"Alright then. I'll defend with one monster and end my turn."  
  
Tea frowned thoughtfully at the glowing square, marking the card. 'It's probably a trap' she thought to herself, 'But I won't have a better chance to disarm it. I have stronger monsters, so I can afford to lose my fairies.' "I'll attack your monster with Dancing Fairies!"  
  
The fairies suddenly began to spin and dance at faster speeds. They began to glow a faint blue colour and when they were done gathering energy, they fired a magical attack at the card. A couple of small lizard men with wings vaporised under the assault. But when the dust cleared more had taken their place.  
  
"What the-?"  
  
"You attacked my Troop Dragon (700/800) monster. When they're destroyed, I can special summon another one. And now that it's my turn again....." Chikara drew a card and shrugged. "This won't do at all. I'll just have to end my turn."  
  
Tea growled. She knew when she was being insulted. "Fine then, you're so smart then dodge this! I'll switch my fairies to defence mode and summon Gemini Elf (1900/900) to destroy your troop dragon again! Attack with Tag Team Assault!"  
  
The elves materialised and immediately launched into a whirling attack on the dragon card. The monster didn't stand a chance and was blown away, but yet another Troop Dragon took its place. Chikara yawned widely, revealing a set of shiny white teeth. "Don't you have anything better to do?"  
  
"Clearly I don't. But I've almost gotten rid of your stupid dragons."  
  
"You really don't stand a chance, you know."  
  
Tea scowled. This girl was really pissing her off! "You're the one hiding behind a weak monster!"  
  
Chikara allowed a hint of a smile to reach her face. "I'll set one magic card and end my turn."  
  
Tea drew and hesitated before her move. Chikara was so confident that she'd win. It was almost like she had some master plan. Deciding that her lifepoints were safe for now with two monsters to guard them, she decided against summoning another monster. "First I gain a thousand lifepoints due to my Dancing Fairies' ability." As she spoke, a cloud of fairy dust surrounded Tea, increasing her lifepoints. "Next I'll destroy your last Troop Dragon with my Gemini Elf." Tea watched as the elf twins pulverized the dragon. "Then I'll set one card facedown and end my turn."  
  
"Good. Because now I've got you right where I want you."  
  
Tea felt a feeling of dread as Chikara drew her card and smirked at it. "I have everything that I need now. I play Polymerisation and reveal my facedown card, Signed In Triplicate!"  
  
"What is that?!"  
  
Chikara was only too happy to explain. "By giving up half my lifepoints, I get to copy one magic card I play by three. So instead of playing one Polymerisation card, I have three, and I'm going to put them to good use. I fuse Flame Manipulator and Masaki the Legendary Swordsman into the Flame Swordsman (1800/1600), Time Wizard and Baby Dragon into Thousand Dragon (2400/2000), and Red Eyes Black Dragon and Summoned Skull into Black Skull Dragon (3200/2800)!"  
  
The sky seemed to darken and a contract appeared on the field, bearing three signatures. One of the signatures flared up and the Flame Swordsman appeared in a burst of fire. The second signature flared and the Thousand Dragon arrived in a rush of wind. The final signature disappeared and the Black Skull Dragon seemed to materialise out of a cloud of darkness. All three seemed to glow with a freaky inner light. Chikara laughed at the look on Tea's face.  
  
"I wouldn't blame you for giving up now! But I hate quitters."  
  
Yugi gasped. "Wow! I didn't even know that card existed!"  
  
Koji nodded. "It's unbelievably rare. Chikara just pulled her classic knockout move. There aren't many people who can pull out of this. They usually get pulverized in the next turn or so."  
  
Asuka looked over at the monsters and sighed, unimpressed. "I don't see what's so fascinating about this little game."  
  
Koji shook his head in disgust. "Someone is staring down the mouths of three of the strongest monsters n our sister's deck and you don't feel anything for them? Sometimes I wonder if we're really related."  
  
"So do I."  
  
Yugi sighed and returned to the duel. Chikara seemed to be gloating some more. Glancing over at the tree, Yami was still asleep. Sighing, he hurried over and shook the ex-pharaoh. "Wake up! Tea's in a duel!"  
  
Yami grumbled something in ancient Egyptian, interspersed with English. Yugi sweat dropped when he heard the words 'Hang he that disturbs my sleep' and shook harder. "Wake up!"  
  
"Hunh.....?" Yami woke up finally, just as Chikara ordered an attack.  
  
"Flame Swordsman, destroy the Dancing Fairies with Flaming sword of battle!"  
  
The Swordsman cut through the fairies like they were made of lint. The explosion finally caught Yami's attention.  
  
"Whoa!" he said when he checked out the playing field. "What happened?"  
  
"Tea's in trouble." Yugi summarised sarcastically. "What more is there?"  
  
"Not a whole lot, apparently." Yami looked at the field more closely and sighed in relief. "It's not as bad as it looks. Tea has a few options, and she has a big lifepoint advantage. It won't be easy, but she can get out of this trap."  
  
Koji was listening to the conversation and snorted. "My sister may be obsessed with the game, but she never loses. Your friend is toast. Face it!"  
  
"You don't know Tea."  
  
"I don't have to."  
  
Chikara snickered at the action on the shore. "It seems our groupies are at each other's throats. Lets give them something to argue about. Black Skull Dragon, attack her Gemini Elf with Molten Fireball attack!"  
  
The dragon opened its mouth, revealing a searing furnace, and launched its attack. The fireball screamed toward the elf twins but was suddenly stopped by three sages in blue robes. Their prayers negated the fireball, leaving Tea's monster and her lifepoints unscathed.  
  
"My Wobaku trap protected me. It's not over yet."  
  
"It will be soon enough! There are only a handful of monsters that can take out mine, and I doubt you have any of them in your deck!"  
  
Tea scanned her hand hurriedly. Unfortunately, her opponent had a point. And with all her star chips on the line she was in a jam. She had nothing in her deck that could stand up to that huge dragon, and anything smaller would get diced by the backup monsters. 'I've got to think of something, or I'll be going back to Domino sooner than I really want to!'  
  
***  
  
Magicman: Dun, dun, dunnn.....  
  
Pegasus: You know I'm sure there are qualified musicians that could make the sinister music for you. Then you wouldn't have to humiliate yourself like that.  
  
Magicman: Where's the fun in that?  
  
Pegasus: Granted.  
  
Joey: Hey! She stole three of my monsters!  
  
Tea: Oh come on. You're not the only one who uses those monsters. Just like how Yugi isn't the only one who uses the Dark Magician, no matter how much he may want to think so.  
  
Joey: Yeah? Well.....you're mean!  
  
Tea: A wonderful comeback. I'll see you next time people. 


	10. Tea vs Chikara Takashi part 2: the final...

Tea's Time to Shine  
  
Magicman: So where were we?  
  
Joey: You were giving away my best cards.  
  
Tea: You're not still griping about that, are you?  
  
Joey: I think it's pretty obvious that I am!  
  
Pegasus: How on Earth did he make it to the final match of my tournament?  
  
Tea: Search me.  
  
Magicman: Okay, enough with the banter. Lets get things on the move.  
  
***  
  
Chikara snorted as Tea drew a card. Her lifepoints were at 1000 while Tea's were at 3000, but she had three powerful monsters on the field. She couldn't attack her strongest creature, and if she attacked the weaker ones the stronger monsters would crush her. "You're outnumbered and outgunned, Tea. Your Elves can't take on all three of my monsters at once."  
  
"Maybe not. But they can take out your Flame Swordsman!" Tea switched her Gemini Elf to attack mode. "Get him! Tag Team attack!"  
  
One elf leapt into the air and rolled forward. The Flame Swordsman jumped aside and avoided being crushed. Then the second elf attacked with a series of hard punches and kicks. The Swordsman blocked these attacks too, but he forgot about the first elf, which buried a sword in his back. The swordsman shattered and dropped Chikara's lifepoints by 100.  
  
Chikara (900 LP) was a bit surprised by this. Most people she duelled would be defending like crazy by now, and she had several traps to negate monster effects. But Tea's sudden aggression was surprising. "I don't suppose you're done yet."  
  
Tea (3000 LP) shook her head. "I'll play one card facedown and summon the Mystical Elf (800/2000) in attack mode. That ends my turn."  
  
"What's Tea doing?!" Yugi was nearly felled by apoplexy. "She's going to lose because of this!"  
  
Koji laughed. "It looks like your friend has cracked up."  
  
"Don't bet on it." Yami smiled. "She sees the way out."  
  
"What way out? Look, next turn your friend will be off of this island like a bat out of Hell."  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
Asuka sighed. She reached into her purse and pulled out a magazine, which she proceeded to flip through. "Stupid games" she muttered.  
  
Chikara drew. "Your facedown card is obviously a trap to protect your vulnerable monsters. So I'll set a card of my own facedown. Now I'll take the liberty of smashing your defences. Black Skull Dragon, attack the Mystical Elf with Molten Fireball attack!"  
  
The dragon screamed and launched its attack, a blazing fireball. It screamed toward Tea's monster at break neck speed.  
  
"Quick, my elves! Dive under the water!"  
  
Just before they were struck, Mystical Elf and Gemini Elf dove under the water where they were protected from the attack above.  
  
Tea smiled. "Nice work girls! Now, lets get ready to counter attack!"  
  
While Chikara was trembling with anger, Yugi cheered. "She did it! That was great!" He jumped up and slapped palms with his counter part. Koji snorted.  
  
"She was lucky."  
  
Asuka rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a spoil sport Koji. She made a fair move. Do you really think that screaming will help Chikara?"  
  
"I thought you didn't care about this duel."  
  
"I don't. You're just bugging me."  
  
Koji fell over while Yami and Yugi sweat dropped.  
  
Meanwhile, Chikara was considering. 'She hid her monsters under water and they can pull that trick anytime they want. I admit I didn't suspect that. I hate losing control like that. But she didn't reckon on this!' Thousand Dragon attack with Ancient Blaze!"  
  
Tea shrugged. "You wasted this attack too. Dive for cover, girls!"  
  
As the elves dove under water, Chikara laughed. "I wasn't attacking your monster. I was attacking the water field! Fire plus water makes steam, removing your water field. Now try to hide from my attack!"  
  
The fire boiled away the river field to steam, leaving the elves defenceless. Tea shook her head in frustration. "This is getting annoying!" she grumbled. "Every move I make, she comes up with a counter move."  
  
Chikara overheard Tea's talking to herself. "I told you earlier, you don't know what control is. In a duel, you have to prepare for every possible contingency. That way you always know what the opposition has planned.  
  
"Oh yeah? Well plan for this!" Tea drew. "You remember my Mystical Elf? When I placed her on the field, she began chanting a spell. Now, that spell lets me transfer her attack points to My Gemini Elf."  
  
Mystical Elf glowed as she chanted her magic. Then that glow transferred to the Gemini Elf, raising its attack points up to 2700.  
  
"Now" Tea continued, "My Elf is strong enough to take out your Thousand Dragon. Sooo.....ATTACK!"  
  
The elves whirled into another attack and the facedown card on Chikara's field burst into life.  
  
"My Energy Drain magic card will drain your monster's attack points down to zero! I told you that I prepare for every contingency!"  
  
"Yeah? Well you need contingencies for your contingencies, because I play Imperial Order!"  
  
A tall man in robes appeared on the field. He raised a hand and Chikara's magic card broke apart like Dracula at sunrise. The elf twins then demolished Thousand Dragon, weakening Chikara's lifepoints to 600. Chikara clenched a fist. "You'll pay for that!"  
  
"Maybe. But for now I switch my Mystical Elf to defence mode. That ends my turn."  
  
Chikara drew while Yami blew a raspberry at Koji. "What do you think of Tea now?"  
  
"Bah! She's all luck."  
  
"Luck?! You wouldn't know duelling skills if they bit off your leg and beat you over the head with it!"  
  
"At least I don't look like psychedelic porcupine! What the Hell were you thinking?! Are you some kind of fashion radical?"  
  
"Hey! You insult the hair, you risk getting beaten up!"  
  
"Bring it, hair job!"  
  
The two started circling each other, violent intentions in their eyes. Just before they lunged, Yugi slipped in between them and screamed with all the breath of his small body.  
  
"KNOCK IT OFF!"  
  
Silence rang through the forest. The squabbling teenagers, Tea, Chikara, and even Asuka stared at Yugi with astonishment. The diminutive one coloured at the sudden attention and sidled away behind a nearby tree, and out of the surprised looks.  
  
At last, Chikara said, "Shrieking fans aside, your trap won't stop my attack. And your Gemini Elf is in attack mode. Now attack, my dragon, and drop her lifepoints!"  
  
With no water to hide under and no traps to protect them, Tea's Gemini Elves were blown to bits. Tea (2500 LP) shielded herself from the blast as Chikara lay down a card. "Okay" she said, "First of all I won't pay the cost to keep Imperial Order. Second I'll set two cards down and end my turn."  
  
"Abandoning your Mystical Elf, eh? Or is it just an obvious trap? No matter. I can still damage your lifepoints with the magic card Big Bang Shot." Chikara equipped her dragon, which gained a large cannon strapped to its back. A couple of fairies hovered about the cannon, loading it.  
  
"This magic card increases my dragons attack by 400 points."  
  
Tea waved a hand airily. "Aren't you forgetting? My Mystical Elf is in defence mode."  
  
Chikara laughed. "It doesn't matter."  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"Big Bang Shot also gives my dragon the ability to deal damage even when it destroys a defending monster. So it really doesn't matter whether or not your elf defends you. She's going to go boom in a big way, and you're going to lose a lot of lifepoints!" Chikara pointed dramatically. "Black Skull Dragon, attack with your Molten Fireball! Show the Mystical Elf who's boss!"  
  
The dragon leaned forward, pointing its cannon at Tea's monster as the fairies finished loading. One of the fairies pressed a series of buttons at one end of the cannon and a low humming sound filled the air. Nothing happened, though the humming increases in pitch.  
  
"I think your cannon's busted."  
  
Then the cannon fired without warning, filling the air with fire and a screaming howl as the projectile streaked toward its target. Chikara laughed. "Say goodbye to your lifepoints!"  
  
"I don't think so!"  
  
Tea turned over a Mirror Force trap and sent the blast back at the dragon. But suddenly Chikara activated her other facedown card. A tall robed figure arose from the field and spoke a word that rippled the air with its power. The Mirror Force cancelled and the attack suddenly swerved back at the Mystical Elf. "What the?!"  
  
Chikara showed off her card. "It's called Solemn Judgement", she said. "By giving up half of my lifepoints, I can negate the last card played. Now your elf is toasted wheat!"  
  
The fireball struck the Mystical Elf, causing an explosion that drained Tea's lifepoints to 900. Chikara smiled pleasantly. "Now you see? My monster is bigger than anything in your deck, and there are only a handful of magic and trap cards that could help you. If you attack, my dragon will bust you up. If you defend, my magic will make sure that you still lose. And I'll play one card down just to make sure that things go my way." She gestured airily. "Make your move."  
  
Tea took a deep breath and drew. "Alright!" She smiled happily. "Just what I needed!"  
  
Chikara raised an eyebrow, as though to say 'Huh?'  
  
"My hand wasn't helping me any, so I play Card Destruction. Both of us discard our hands and then draw new ones." Tea looked at her new hand and smirked. "Just the combo I needed."  
  
Koji scowled as a grinning Yami gave him the finger. "Ah shut up!"  
  
"I didn't say anything," the ex-pharaoh answered smugly. "I was just about to point out that Tea's going to win this duel."  
  
"Ha!" Chikara laughed scornfully. "She's got nothing."  
  
"Don't talk as if I'm not here!"  
  
Chikara sighed. "Look Tea, I'll admit that I'm fairly impressed that you lasted this long. But be realistic! You're totally out matched here!"  
  
"Maybe, but I'm not giving up. You see", she added, "I may be a wannabe but I'm a wannabe that's not giving up. I'm going to get where I'm going and not you or any other duellist is going to stop me!"  
  
Chikara raised her eyebrow again. Her look seemed to, at last contain a measure of respect. "Well then show me what you've got. I'm ready for you!"  
  
"Here's what I've got!" Tea slapped down a monster. "Maha Vailo (1550/1400)!"  
  
The blue robed magician appeared on the field and a hole opened up beneath his feet, swallowing him up.  
  
"I activate Trap Hole, destroying your monster!"  
  
"So? I play Monster Reborn and bring him back from the graveyard!"  
  
Maha Vailo reappeared on the field, his long blonde hair flailing as though there was a strong wind. Chikara considered the facts as she watched the monster. 'What is she planning? That things is too weak to stand up to my dragon.'  
  
"I know what your thinking" Tea said. "You want to know why I'd play Maha Vailo in the first place, right? Well you must not know about his special skill. For each equip card attached to him, he gains an additional 500 attack points. So I'll give him this!" Tea activated a magic card. "It's called the Axe of Despair, and it raises my monster's attack points by one thousand. Combined with his special effect, Maha Vailo has a full attack of three thousand and fifty!"  
  
"That's still not enough to beat my dragon."  
  
"Isn't it?" Tea pointed at Chikara's monster. "Maha Vailo, prepare to attack her Black Skull Dragon!"  
  
Chikara stared incredulously as the Vaillo grasped lightning energy out of the cloud itself. "What in the world are you doing?! Your monster will be destroyed!"  
  
"Not really. Did you forget my trap card?" Tea activated her other facedown card. "It's called Blast with Chain! It raises the attack of the Maha by another five hundred."  
  
"But my dragons till outranks it by fifty attack points!" Chikara could only watch as the Vailo's attack finished powering up.  
  
Tea nodded. "Yes, but when Blast with Chain is activated, it's treated as an equip card, so Maha Vailo's special effect happens again. His attack is now boosted all the way up to four thousand and fifty. So now that he's ready, Maha Vailo attack with Sacred Lightning!"  
  
Lightning blasted out from the spellcaster's fingertips, winding its way through the air at a very fast pace. It struck the dragon, which screamed in pain. Then it shattered with a final roar, taking with it the last of Chikara's lifepoints.  
  
"And that is how the game is played!"  
  
***  
  
Chikara smiled a bit regretfully at her now empty duelling glove. "So I'm out of the tournament. Ah well. That's the way things go."  
  
"It was a great duel." Tea offered her hand with a smile. "No hard feelings?"  
  
"No. But we will have to do this again." Chikara took Tea's hand and shook it gravely. "Sorry about insulting you earlier, you're no weakling."  
  
"Like I said, no hard feelings."  
  
Koji was sulking and Yami was teasing him while Yugi kept the two apart. Asuka yawned. "Well that spectacle was slightly entertaining."  
  
Chikara shook her head in disgust. "Well, I'd better go before those two get into more trouble. It was good to meet you Tea. I'll see you next time."  
  
Tea and friends waved goodbye as the triplets walked off into the forest. Then she looked down at her glove. She smiled with pride. "Only two more star chips to go. Then I'll be in Pegasus' castle!"  
  
Yugi smiled up at Tea. "That was a great play at the end, Tea. I didn't even know about Blast With Chain's effect."  
  
"Thanks Yugi. But it was nothing really." She turned thoughtful. "If the matches before the finals are tough, I wonder how hard the duels in the castle will be?"  
  
"There will be some tough opponents," Yami answered. "I wouldn't be surprised if you ran into Crawford."  
  
"I hope I do." Tea scowled.  
  
"But it doesn't really matter who you duel. We'll be right by you wherever you duel."  
  
Tea smiled. "You two are such good friends." She hugged them. "I guess it doesn't really matter who's in the finals. I'll just have to beat them too."  
  
"Well put." Yami laughed at a sudden thought. "I'm just glad that this tournament is just for fun, and that there isn't any dark forces or Rare Hunters or someone trying to do evil things. It's a nice break."  
  
"Yep. Now," Tea turned back to the river, "If you two will excuse me I have a break to get back to." Still clad in her bathing suit, she turned and jumped into the river, splashing her friends as she went.  
  
***  
  
Magicman: That was a good one, if I do say so.  
  
Tea: Yay! Eight stars! I'm almost there!  
  
Pegasus: I'll start drawing up a list of the finalists.  
  
Joey: That part's not written yet.  
  
Pegasus: It's best to have a plan for the future, right Magicman?  
  
Magicman: Exactly. And now, while that's in the works, see ya tomorrow! 


	11. Tea vs Ami Ryuta: the one turn killer

Tea's Time to Shine  
  
Magicman: All right! I've been wanting to do this chapter for a while now. It involves a character that I created out of thin air. You want to meet her? You'll just have to read on and find out.  
  
Joey: I've met your characters before. I think they'd be better off staying out of this one.  
  
Magicman: Aw! I'm hurt. Now I don't have the will to write. Smokegirl, will you take over please?  
  
Joey: What?! Oh no, no, no, I wasn't serious! I was just fooling around, you know?  
  
Smokegirl: Too late! I'm in charge now sucker!  
  
Joey: AAAAAAHHH!!!  
  
Tea: Oh shut up. She can't kill you. You're in the story!  
  
Pegasus: Oh forget him. He's out of it now. *Watches Joey run around screaming* Well, lets get down to business. By the way BECA, now you know what Ryou's been doing.  
  
***  
  
Ishizu stepped into the clearing and looked about curiously. It seemed that someone was camping here. Backpacks lay on the ground as well as a supply of firewood and a small pit for cooking. One of the backpacks was upended, its contents, mostly mangas with a lighter and a pair of sunglasses, lying spilled on the ground. Not wanting to intrude on anyone's solitude, the Egyptian woman started to step back but a voice stopped her.  
  
"Ishizu! Thank Heaven! Finally, someone sane to talk to!" Ryou hurried over to the woman from where he'd been reading one of Zev's mangas and nearly hugged her excitedly. He managed to recover himself though, and settled for grinning broadly and clasping his hands behind his back.  
  
Ishizu smiled faintly. "It is good to see you too Ryou. How have you been?"  
  
"Not bad until this tournament started. Bakura took it into his head to follow around after Miss Crawford like some lovesick puppy, and I was dragged along to cook." Ryou shook his head ruefully. "They go out together for most of the day and leave me here to do whatever I feel like, as long as it doesn't interfere with their silent flirting. I suppose it's good for him though. Sometimes I get to thinking that he'll never really be human, and then he goes and does something like this."  
  
"I think I understand" Ishizu commented, leaning against a tree. "He was imprisoned for thousands of years. He is still trying to remember what it is like to be human. He does have a heart like you do."  
  
"Sometimes I think so. Maybe he just needs to be near someone as deranged as he is." Ryou shrugged. He gestured to a log his yami had dragged into the clearing. "Would you care to sit down?"  
  
"I don't see why not." Ishizu smiled and walked over to the log, seating herself gracefully. She cocked her head, seeming to wait for something. Ryou was just about to ask what for when a voice shouted "Damn it!" She sighed and raised her own voice. "Marik get over here, and watch your language. We're guests."  
  
The blond Egyptian broke through a tangle of briars, swearing viciously. "Guests? What the hell are you talking about?!" His eyes met Ryou's and he jerked his head around quickly. "Where is he? I know he's out here somewhere!"  
  
Ryou was puzzled. "Who do you mean?"  
  
"You know who I mean!" Marik snapped. "That lunatic of a thief! He's around here somewhere I just know he is."  
  
Ishizu rolled her eyes. "Just relax brother. Bakura is no longer a threat. It is Ryou who has the Millennium Ring. Shaddi made it so. Without magic, he cannot take other items. And without the items, he's harmless."  
  
"I wouldn't say harmless exactly", Ryou put in. "He does have a switchblade he likes to carry around with him."  
  
"I'm surprised he hasn't been thrown in prison by now" Marik muttered. Slowly he relaxed and joined his sister on the log.  
  
"So am I, frankly" Ryou admitted. He dug through his backpack and pulled out a pot. "Can I make you two some tea? It's about four o'clock now."  
  
***  
  
"Alright! Only two more star chips to go and I'm in Pegasus' castle! This kicks it!" Tea performed a cartwheel and landed gracefully. She brushed her hands off and gazed happily at her duelling deck. "Okay guys" she said to her cards, "Let's keep up the great work. We can make it to the finals, beat down Zev, and celebrate our victory at Burger World when we get home. Does that sound good to you?"  
  
"Is she talking to her deck?" Yugi stage-whispered. Yami grinned.  
  
"Whatever happened to the Heart of the Cards?"  
  
"Even I don't think they can answer back." Yugi admitted.  
  
Tea happened to overhear and grinned. "They don't have to answer back, but they've been very helpful. I wouldn't want them to think I'm being ungrateful."  
  
Yugi didn't bother answering. He only sighed and looked up at the sky helplessly. Yami ruffled his counterpart's hair.  
  
The trio left the forested area in good spirits and, following the river tea had swum in to a more hilly part of the island. Scattered trees dotted the countryside and Pegasus' castle loomed up in the horizon. Tea looked about in approval. "A great place for a duel. Now, all I need is my opponent."  
  
Yugi watched Tea look around. 'She's a lot happier duelling than I was last Duellist Kingdom. I never looked forward to my battles, or to the game. All I was concerned with was helping my grandfather. I was always afraid, too. Afraid of losing. But Tea duels with confidence and courage, like I would when I let Yami take over.' A sudden thought came to him and he smiled. 'Maybe Tea has a yami.'  
  
A rustle in the tree above him drew his attention. When he looked up, Yugi found himself staring into a face, only half an inch from his. "Hello cubling!"  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"  
  
Tea and Yami whirled from what they were doing and rushed over to Yugi. The diminutive little person was lying on the ground beneath a tree, gasping for breath and clutching his chest, purple eyes twitching wildly. Hanging upside down from a branch in the tree was a laughing teenaged girl, swinging back and forth. "So cute!" she gushed, short dirty-blond hair falling in her face. "Such a cute little wolf cub, aren't you? You want to play with Ami? So adorable!" She continued to gush while Tea and Yami rushed to their fallen friend.  
  
"Yugi, are you alright?" Tea asked, concern in her eyes.  
  
"N-no m-more coffee f-for me, th-thanks" Yugi stammered. Tea tilted her head, a puzzled expression on her face before shrugging and looking over at the girl curiously.  
  
Yami approached said girl cautiously, hands opened diplomatically. "Excuse me, but who exactly are-"  
  
"DEMON!" The girl shrieked, making Yami jump back. She dropped to the ground, gracefully landing on her feet and coming up in a karate defence position. "Back demon! Back!" She slowly circled Yami, who had frozen in place. Tea was staring at the bizarre sight incredulously.  
  
"Are you crazy?" the dancer asked. The strange girl looked over at Tea, curiosity on her own face,  
  
"I'm not crazy. I'm Ami. You want to play with Ami?"  
  
Tea blinked. "Uh-"  
  
"SHHHHH!!!" Ami hushed furiously, cutting Tea off. She peered around cautiously. "Are they listening?"  
  
"Um, who?"  
  
"The ones who listen."  
  
"I see....."  
  
Ami listened intently for a few more moments, peering about. Her gaze passed suspiciously by Yami but passed on until she made a full circle. Then she sighed and grinned widely. "No one here, no one but this Ryuta. This Ami Ryuta is here. Want to play?"  
  
Yami opened his mouth, but a vicious glare from Ami closed it again. Silently, he moved behind Tea, who left Yugi in his hands and stood up. "Well Ami" she said neutrally, "I'm Tea."  
  
Ami suddenly laughed happily. Tea noted that she wore only green track shorts and a white T-shirt. "Are you a player?"  
  
Tea blinked. "Er, what?"  
  
Ami cocked her head, her green eyes puzzled. "Do you play?"  
  
"Play what?"  
  
"The game."  
  
"What game? What do you mean?"  
  
"The old game. The ancient game."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"The game of kings! Do you play the game of kings?!"  
  
"What the Hell are you talking about?!"  
  
"The game of kings and shadows! Do you understand the words coming from my mouth?!"  
  
"NOBODY is understanding the words coming from your mouth!"  
  
Yami fought valiantly against a snicker trying to make its way from his mouth while the two girls continued to rail at each other. He could probably have cleared up the confusion, but this was too entertaining. Yugi had mostly recovered by now, though he was still gasping for breath, and he was watching the increasingly vehement conversation interestedly.  
  
Finally, Ami lifted her hand a thrust it into Tea's face. "The game!" she screamed. "Do you play the game?!"  
  
Tea crossed her eyes and made out star chips on a duelling glove, just as comprehension dawned on her. "Yes!" she said. "I play the game."  
  
"Good." Ami changed from frustration to cheerfulness again in a heartbeat. She waved her glove, showing off eight star chips. "I bet two! Two stars!"  
  
Tea nodded and picked two stars from her glove. "Two it is. It's time to duel."  
  
Ami's smile turned cunning. "Lets play."  
  
The two stepped up the duelling platform and readied their decks. On the ground, Yugi and Yami watched. "This shouldn't be too hard" Yugi said, eyeing Ami warily. "The girl is crazy, after all."  
  
"Hmm." Was all Yami said, regarding Ami curiously.  
  
"Ami goes first! Start the game with good move! Defending with Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200)." Laughing, Ami summoned the Witch and ended her turn with a swish of her hand. "Think you can beat her?"  
  
Tea frowned. "I know that the witch isn't as weak as she looks," she told her opponent. "I've seen her effect used before. You can bring a monster to your hand after she's destroyed. So I'll have to summon a monster strong enough to survive whatever you might summon next." She drew and a smile lit her features. "Alright! I play Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700) in attack mode!"  
  
Tea's favourite card appeared with a happy smile, and she waved at Tea. Tea waved back. "She's much stronger than your Witch. Now my Dark Magician Girl, attack Witch of the Black Forest with Dark Magic Flash!"  
  
Dark Magician Girl flipped forward, showing off a bit, and landed right in front of the witch. The weaker spellcaster raised her hands in defence but the blue clad magician twirled her staff like a baton. When the staff stopped twirling, a bright flash of magical light lit the arena, causing everyone to cover their faces. The light shattered the witch and the Dark Magician Girl danced back to her place in the arena happily. Tea grinned.  
  
"Now your lifepoints are defenceless. And just in case you get ideas, I'll set one card facedown." Tea set her Mirror Force trap and smiled. 'Even if she attacks, I'll just play my trap.' She thought.  
  
Ami shrugged and pulled a monster from her deck and put in into her hand. "Witch come back!" she chanted. "Witch come back! Witch come back! Witch come back!" Tea wondered what the heck she was doing when she played Monster Reborn and brought the witch back in defence mode. "Now a friend for my witch. Sangan (1000/600) in defence mode! You go now." Ami played the fuzzy monster and ended her turn, smiling benignly.  
  
By now alarm bells were setting off an uproar in Tea's head. Ami wasn't even fighting back, and Tea was on the verge of destroying her monsters yet again. But she had no other recourse, and with a feeling of trepidation, Tea summoned her Amazoness Swordswoman (1500/1600) to the field. In a matter of seconds, the Sangan and the witch were sent to the graveyard, blasted and sliced. Tea watched Ami happily draw her two monsters and wondered. 'I wonder when the shoe is going to drop' she thought, ending her turn.  
  
Ami's strategy was driving Yami crazy, on the sidelines. "What the heck is her plan?!" he raved to Yugi. "She's not even protecting herself. How does she expect to win if she doesn't attack? I just can't figure it out!"  
  
Yugi shrugged. "Maybe she's setting up for her attack?"  
  
"What attack? Tea is too firmly entrenched on the field to be knocked out easily."  
  
"Well, I'm sure we'll find out soon."  
  
Back on the field, the duel progressed. "It's your move Ami" Tea said. "By the way, you still don't have any monsters on the field. If I can attack you, you're done."  
  
"You won't attack Ami."  
  
"Oh? And why not?"  
  
"Because I say so," Ami countered, her voice cold. She drew a card and gasped dramatically. "Yay! Wonderful! Perfect and etcetera! One monster defends lifepoints and one card facedown defends monster. Yay!" She pulled a bad disco move after she played her cards.  
  
Tea raised her eyebrow. "Okay, at least you're trying to defend yourself. But I still have two monsters on the field. When I take out your monster, your lifepoints are next. Sooo take out her facedown card, Amazoness Swordswoman!"  
  
The amazon let out a howling battle cry and leapt into the air, her sword outstretched. But just as she was about to strike, she fell from the sky, landing hard on one knee. She struggled to her feet but was forced to lean upon her sword just to remain standing. Tea's Dark Magician Girl wasn't any better. She was lying on the ground, pinned helplessly by some invisible force.  
  
"What the- What did you do to my monsters?!" Tea screamed furiously. "Let them go now!"  
  
"Let them go?" Ami rolled her eyes back into her head so that only the whites showed. "Why? The game is harsh. Only the best play. Ami is one of the best. Ranked third. Gravity Bind is a good trap, so Ami uses it. You done?"  
  
Literally quivering, Tea didn't trust herself to open her mouth; she would probably say the nasty things that were running through her mind. To force a monster into such a submissive position..... Instead of answering, she nodded.  
  
"Oh goodie! My turn!" Ami drew and grinned lightly. "Ami passes this turn."  
  
Tea shook her head in frustration. "What the hell are you doing?!" she half-screamed. "Why aren't you fighting back?"  
  
"I am."  
  
Tea blinked and Ami continued, a rather smug look on her face and her piercing green eyes dancing. "When Ami first started playing the game, she wanted the strongest cards in the world. Big cards. Make golden god look weak. So I thought of which cards could beat any others. Which cards, put together could defeat any duellist, using their best cards? In short, what in the game is unstoppable?"  
  
Ami's suddenly straightforward and coherent speech threw Tea off. But when the half-crazed duelling girl started chanting 'unstoppable' over and over, while dancing in a circle, the pieces fell into place. 'She doesn't want to summon any specific monster', Tea thought. 'She wants to get a bunch of monsters in her hand, and she's positive that they'll win her the game. Unstoppable? I know what she wants!' She voiced her suspicions out loud. "You want to summon Exodia!"  
  
Yugi stiffened at the mention of the monster and Ami laughed happily. "Got it in one! Yay! Little and late though. Puzzle almost finished. Look!" Ami lifted her hand and showed Tea the cards she held. Exodia's head, both arms, and a leg gleamed in the sun at her.  
  
Tea stared. "Life just got a whole lot harder."  
  
Ami nodded happily. "Exodia is unstoppable. Exodia is all-powerful. Not even the Egyptian Gods can beat him. Only Exodia can keep them out of my head." She looked about suspiciously, as though hearing more voices. Seeing no one, she turned to Tea and gave her a wicked grin. "And Exodia will defeat you and take your stars!"  
  
Tea tried to fight against the panic that was rapidly building in her throat. The four cards flashed mockingly from Ami's hand, threatening to bring her entire winning streak crashing down around her. The finals were so close, but with Exodia in the way that goal was looking further and further away every second.  
  
'If I don't figure a way out of this' she thought frantically, 'I'm dead!'  
  
***  
  
Pegasus: Isn't a little harsh to sick Exodia on her?  
  
Tea: Naw. I can take her. Come on you nutcase take your best shot! *Raises her fists and starts shadow-boxing* Ya want some of this? Huh? Huh?!  
  
Joey: Uh, Magic? I think you've turned her into a psycho.  
  
Smokegirl: Magicman's not here, remember? Now, who wants to play? *Revs up a chainsaw*  
  
Joey: *runs screaming, chased by Smokegirl* 


	12. Tea vs Ami Ryuta 2: to stop the unstoppa

Tea's Time to Shine  
  
Joey: It's about time you got around to updating!  
  
Magicman: What can I say? What with work, driving school, and planning for Anime North, I've been busy.  
  
Pegasus: That's what you say all the time.  
  
Magicman: Well it's true! All the time. Anyway, down to business. Two things really. First of all, to all the reviewers and readers and such who figured out Ami's strategy and know how Tea will break it, expect some tricks from Ami. I have a friend who used an Exodia deck, and I figured out all sorts of Exodia tricks from him. And to the guy who keeps pointing out the little details wrong with the duels, I know that Mirror Force isn't used that way. It's a lot cooler though, and please keep in mind that the TV show rules are different from the card game rules.  
  
Tea: You done yet? I'm pretty curious as to how I'm going to beat Ami before she beats me.  
  
Magicman: Of course. Let the games continue! 

* * *

"So how have you two been?"  
  
Ishizu sipped her Earl Grey tea, which Ryou had boiled to perfection. "Quite well actually" she said. "The museum recently received a shipment of ancient Aztec artifacts, including the sacrificial dagger of a high priest. A deal like that doesn't come around very often."  
  
Marik grinned. "I had to threaten the owner into making the sale."  
  
Ishizu rolled her eyes at her brother. "I've been trying to get him some psychiatric help, but he keeps refusing. I guess I shouldn't worry though. As long as Odion is around to keep him out of trouble, he can't do much. Right now though he had some important business at one of my digs, and I couldn't leave Marik back at the house. You know how he is."  
  
"Besides which, I'd starve to death" Marik put it. "I've been known to ruin instant noodles."  
  
Ryou smiled. "That is quite a predicament. What brought you here in the first place?"  
  
Ishizu hesitated. Should she tell Ryou? He was a good person. It couldn't hurt. "My Millennium Necklace showed me something. A great darkness will invade the tournament. I must be there at the finals to try and stop it."  
  
Marik sighed and leaned back against a tree. "This is what I don't get. Last I checked, the pharaoh, Yugi, Pegasus and hordes of other good duellists will be there. Why do we need to come too?"  
  
"Have you ever heard of the saying 'if you want something done right you have to do it yourself'?" Ishizu asked her brother. "I suppose that has something to do with it."  
  
"Hmm. No wonder my Rare Hunters kept getting pulverized by Yugi and Kaiba." Marik sighed in annoyance. "If you'd mentioned that to me a year or so ago, I might be the pharaoh now." He looked up at Ryou's snickering. "What?"  
  
"You sound almost like my yami."  
  
Ryou grinned, knowing what Marik's reaction would be. 

* * *

"Ami's got Exodia! Ami's got Exodia!" Ami sang as she danced around, waving her hand in the air. "Four pieces down, one to go! Good for me!"  
  
Yami sighed. "She's going to give me a headache."  
  
"Come on Tea!" Yugi called out. "Just draw the right card and shut down her plan to summon Exodia!"  
  
"I'll certainly give it a try," Tea answered. Breathing deep, she slowly drew. When she looked at the card.....  
  
"Yes! Awesome!" Tea cheered and did a little dance of her own. "Now who's ahead? Take this! Card destruction!"  
  
Tea laughed when all cards in both duellists' hands were sent to the graveyard and they redrew. "Exodia's gone now, and without him I doubt your deck has the firepower you need to win. I think I may have just won this thing."  
  
Yugi whistled appreciatively and Yami grinned proudly. 'That's my Tea' he thought proudly.  
  
Ami just grinned. "The unstoppable is like a good meal. Gone but not forgotten."  
  
The analogy was lost on Tea. "What? Are you hungry or something?"  
  
"Ooh! Food! Yum!" Ami shook her head and refocused. "Exodia players know how to protect him before the knockout. Yes we do. He's gone for now, but not for long! Time to start all over again! Say hello to my little friend, Fibre Jar (500/500)!"  
  
A jar that appeared to be made of leaves and vines appeared on the field before flooding the arena with a bright green light. Tea blinked, protecting her eyes, and when she could see again the entire field had been emptied. No Fibre Jar, no Amazoness Swordswoman, no Dark Magician Girl, and no Gravity Bind. Ami was shuffling her deck and graveyard together when she decided to explain.  
  
"Flipping my monster restarts our game" Ami grinned as she tapped her fingers erratically on the dashboard of the playing field. "Our graveyards and our deck meet and our hands are redrawn. Ready? Good. Now Ami sees her hand." Ami looked down at her hand and frowned. "Hmm. This doesn't work. Not at all."  
  
Tea, her deck reshuffled and her hand redrawn, raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? Didn't you get what you wanted?"  
  
"No", Ami pouted. Then she brightened. "But magic can help. Ami activates Reload!"  
  
A holographic gun materialised on the field. The switch pulled and an empty clip fell out. As a new clip replaced the old, Yami shouted out, "Be careful Tea! That card lets her redraw a new hand!"  
  
"Demon-man is right" Ami said, scowling at Yami. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Sooo....." Ami looked at her knew hand and beamed. "Yay! Is good! Ami plays a card facedown and defends with Mystic Tomato (1400/1100). Next one magic card, called Card of Safe Return. You go now."  
  
Tea drew and studied her cards carefully. She didn't have many options, but she could still attack. "I summon Marie the Fallen one (1700/1200) in attack mode." Tea held up a magic card. "Next I'll increase her powers with Fairy Meteor Crush. Your Mystic Tomato may be in defence mode but I can still damage you. Now I'll attack with Marie. Destroy her monster with Blackened Soul Blade!"  
  
The dark angel flapped her wings, bringing herself into the air. Placing a hand on her heart, she pulled it away suddenly, drawing forth from her body a sword of glowing black metal. She dove and with one swift motion, she disemboweled the sinister looking tomato. Ami's monster screeched as it disintegrated and ticked six hundred lifepoints off of Ami's lifepoint counter. Tea grinned and waved to Marie. "Nice work Marie!" The dark angel flapped her wings in acknowledgement. "Your move Ami."  
  
Ami (LP 1400) smiled happily. "Thank you! Mystic Tomato lets me bring out another Mystic Tomato, whom I switch to defence mode this turn. And now Card of Safe Return activates! Yay! I get to draw a new card!" Ami drew and grinned. "Now for the toughest choice of the game of shadows. Painful Choice!"  
  
"Whatever that is" Tea muttered, "it doesn't sound very good."  
  
"It's not", Ami said cheerfully. "Ami gets to pick five of her best cards from her deck! Then you pick one to go to my hand. The rest are gone but not forgotten."  
  
"You mean they go to the graveyard?"  
  
"That's what I said."  
  
Tea rolled her eyes. "Okay, show me the choices."  
  
Ami pulled out the five cards and flashed them to Tea. It was an interesting selection. The cards were Exodia's Right Arm, Exodia's Left Leg, Witch of the Black Forest, Sangan, and Messenger of Peace. For Tea it was a no-brainer. "I'll pick Messenger of Peace", she said. "Now you lost two pieces of Exodia and both your special summoning monsters. Try summoning your unstoppable monster without them."  
  
"Okay!" Ami activated her trap card. "Backup Soldier helps me out."  
  
Tea swore as her opponent was able to redraw the two pieces of Exodia she had lost. "Are you done?"  
  
"Nope! Now I protect myself with my magic card." Ami played Messenger of Peace. "Only weak monsters can attack now. The messenger won't let the big ones attack. And now, it's your turn!"  
  
A man in golden robes rose up on the field, preventing strong monsters from attacking. Tea nearly swore when she drew. All her monsters had high attack points. "I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage" Tea said, scowling. "But I can still play one card facedown. Your move."  
  
Tea waited until Ami drew before activating her trap. "I play Dust Tornado, blowing away your Messenger of Peace!"  
  
As a mighty wind blew up from Tea's hidden card, Ami just laughed with glee. "Whee! Such fun!" She waved goodbye to her messenger card before making her move. "Magical messenger served his purpose. He holds back players to make room for the unstoppable. But the unstoppable still needs the rest of his pieces, and that's where Ami's friends come in. Meet my Puppet Master (0/0) in defence mode!"  
  
What looked like a marionette on steroids materialised on the field. Ami grinned at her maniacal little minion. "He's happy to be here, isn't he?" she gushed as her monster cackled insanely.  
  
Tea rolled her eyes. "I'm sure. But what's he for? He has no attack and no defence. Does he have some effect?"  
  
"Oh yeah!" Ami grinned wickedly. "Puppet Master, use your special effect now! Take one thousand of my lifepoints to restore three of my monsters to life!"  
  
Tea watched, in a combination of shock and alarm as Ami dropped her lifepoints all the way down to a sparse four hundred to power up her monster's effect. Puppet Master waved its wooden arms as a dark and eerie glow surrounded its being. Then, with a blood-curdling shriek from hell, strings burst forth from the creature's fingertips and reached deep into the graveyard. With demonic strength, it hauled forth Ami's witch, her Sangaan, and her Mystic Tomato in defence mode. Suddenly the crazy girl's defences were impenetrable.  
  
"My monsters were returned safely, so Card of Safe return lets Ami draw three new cards. Yay!" Ami drew her cards and whistled. "Not bad. One card face down ends Ami's turn. Ha! Take that voices!" She ended her turn by glaring at Yami.  
  
"Why does she keep glaring at you?" Yugi whispered in his darker side's ear. Yami could only shrug helplessly.  
  
Ami apparently had exceptionally sharp, because in the next second she scared the bejeezus out of the two. "BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT HUMAN, THAT'S WHAT!!!" She scowled and seemed to calm down. "You think Ami can't see? Ami sees more than she wants sometimes, but I can see that you're not what you seem to be. You're not normal. Your eyes.....they're too ancient to be normal. They're full of secrets, and not to be trusted."  
  
Tea stared at Ami. "How.....?"  
  
Ami turned back to her opponent and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. I interrupted the game. Your turn."  
  
Shaken, Tea drew a card and checked the field. Ami had four monsters and one card facedown while Tea only had Marie the Fallen One with Fairy Meteor Crush. 'If I destroy her Puppet Master', she thought, 'I can take out the rest of her lifepoints. And if her facedown card destroys Marie, then there's still her special effect.' "Okay Ami I don't know how you seem to know so much about Yami but I can finish you off right here and now! Go Marie!"  
  
Tea's monster flapped her wings but she was suddenly pulled back to Earth, crying out in pain. She struggled to rise but her efforts were to no avail. Tea glared furiously at Ami's Gravity Bind trap card. "Okay, fine. I'll play one card facedown and end my turn."  
  
"Okeday!" Ami drew and crowed happily. "A plague on both our houses!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"A plague on both our houses." The crazy girl showed the Dark Hole magic that she played.  
  
"Ah crap." Tea groaned as all monsters on the field were sucked into a black vortex. "I guess you get two more pieces of Exodia then. Does that complete the puzzle?"  
  
Ami shook her head almost sorrowfully. "Not quite. Just one more to go though. Then you meet my friend!" She brightened and picked her two monsters to go to her hand, due to her Witch of the Black Forest and her Sangaan. "Okay then, I play the magic card Different Dimension Capsule."  
  
Tea blinked in surprise. Yami, on the other hand, recoiled in horror. "Oh no" he muttered under his breath.  
  
"What does that card do?" Tea asked her opponent.  
  
"It gets me my reinforcements!" Ami giggled uncontrollably.  
  
"Tea!" Yami shouted from the sidelines, "That card lets her bring any card from her deck to her hand in three turns!"  
  
Tea stared at her friend in alarm. "You're kidding me!"  
  
"Nope", Ami said cheerfully. "He's quite right. The game ends in three turns, all in one turn. Cool, huh?"  
  
"No, not cool", Tea growled. "Bad. Very bad." She drew, taking a 200 point boost to her lifepoints and shook her head. "Not the right card. I have to pass this turn."  
  
"Geez" Yugi said while Ami drew her card. "This is looking really bad. Ami has Tea locked down and unable to fight back. And if she draws the last piece of Exodia, she's finished."  
  
"I've seen Tea's deck, and I know that she has two cards in particular that will let her win."  
  
"You sound confident."  
  
Yami just smiled. "Tea has determination, strength, and a faith in her deck. They won't let her down."  
  
Once again, Ami overheard the conversation. She scowled at Yami before sighing. "Ancient Egyptians" she muttered. "Go figure." Returning her attention to the game Ami went back to grinning. "One turn down, only two more to go! Wheee! And now Reflect Bounder (1700/1000) joins the game in attack mode."  
  
A machine monster sporting a mirror in its chest appeared on the field, guarding Ami's lifepoints. Ami gestured, ending her turn. On the field, the capsule containing the last piece of Exodia pulsed.  
  
Tea (LP 2400) drew. "I have to play a monster card in defence mode" she said, playing the card. "And I still can't do anything. It's your move again."  
  
"Just one more to go!" Ami flashed a peace sign happily. "Now Ami plays Dark Door. Only one monster can attack now. You go." She gestured almost airily as her capsule pulsed again and started to shake.  
  
Tea took a deep breath and drew. "Nothing."  
  
"Nothing you can do? Yay! Ami wins!"  
  
"Not quite."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Tea pointed to her monster. "I still have my facedown card, which I flip right now. Reveal Skelengel (500/600/). This monster lets me draw a new card. I can only hope it will help."  
  
Tea drew slowly, feeling the tension. "Pot of Greed. This lets me draw another two cards."  
  
As Tea (LP 2600) reached for her deck, the air nearly crackled with charged electricity. Yami knew that Tea could win if she drew the right cards. Yugi hoped she could win. Ami thought she had the duel won but was experienced enough to know that one card could turn the tide. And as for Tea, she was praying to her deck not to let her down.  
  
'I know we've been through some tough duels but this is the toughest of them all. We can't attack around her Reflect Bounder and we can't afford to wait this one turn. Please, give me the strength I need to beat her. You have my trust.'  
  
Tea drew. The only sound was the wind through the grass.  
  
Slowly, a smile spread across the dancer's face.  
  
"This was the best duel I've ever had, Ami", she said to her opponent, "But it's about to end now."  
  
"You can't stop the unstoppable", Ami warned.  
  
"I'm not going to. I'm going to stop you from assembling him. I play the magic card Forceful Sentry!"  
  
Ami let out a piercing scream. "NOT THAT! NOT THAT!"  
  
"Then you know I get to look at your hand, pick one card, and send it back to your deck." Tea's smile widened as Ami grudgingly showed her hand. "I pick Exodia's right arm."  
  
Ami scowled as she placed her card back in her deck and reshuffled. "I'll get it back soon enough!"  
  
"No, not soon enough" Tea countered. "Because now I summon Fire Princess (1300/1500) in defence mode!"  
  
The red-cloaked spellcaster appeared, bringing another scream from Ami's throat. "If I don't do something this turn, I'm finished!" She looked down at her deck. She needed the last piece of Exodia.  
  
Tea nodded. "I end my turn."  
  
"And Exodia's head comes to my hand." Ami drew the head and shuffled. "Time to draw. Here goes nothing!" She drew.  
  
The moment seemed to stretch into an eternity. Ami stared at the card fixedly for several long seconds. Then she sighed and laid her hand over her deck. The sign for surrender.  
  
"Ami didn't get what she needed. You win." 

* * *

Tea grinned at her duelling glove. "Ten stars. Enough to enter the castle."  
  
Ami grinned back. "Wait for Ami, kay? I'll get there soon."  
  
"I'll look forward to it." The two girls shook hands. Then Ami turned to Yugi and tackled him to the ground. "And I'll see you too, cubling!" she crooned as she huggled the sweatdropping teenager. Then she glared at Yami. "Hopefully, you won't be there." She snapped.  
  
Tea laughed. "There's one thing I don't get though. How did you know about Yami?"

Ami rolled her eyes. "I may be crazy, but I'm not stupid. Studying Ancient Egypt is one of my hobbies. Ah well. See you later!" And with that, she got off of Yugi and ran off in some random direction.

"There goes one crazy girl" Yami commented. "A heck of a duellist, but one crazy girl."

* * *

Magicman: I think that was my best duel yet, if I do say so myself.  
  
Tea: And Exodia is down for the count! And the crowd goes wild!"  
  
Pegasus&Joey: sarcastically Hurray. How wonderful.  
  
Tea: Put some feeling into it!  
  
Magicman: Anyway, until next time my readers! 


	13. Party Crashers

Tea's Time to Shine  
  
Magicman: Okay, back into gear now. Tea finally reaches Pegasus' castle-  
  
Pegasus: Airship! Bah! I keep my finalists in luxury!  
  
Magicman: Where the other contestant are having fun-  
  
Ami: runs by screaming DEMONS!  
  
Magicman: And are eagerly awaiting the start of the finals-  
  
Smokegirl: Eager to lose, are they?  
  
Magicman: -And the plot twist I've been working on. Anyone else? No? Good. Lets begin.  
  
{}{}{}{}  
  
In their wanderings around Duellist Kingdom, Tea and the pharaoh twins had gone quite astray. After Tea's duel with Ami, they turned and headed right for Pegasus' castle. Unfortunately several hills, a field, and a part of the forest zone stood between them and the location of the finals. As a consequence it was quite late by the time they arrived.  
  
Tea looked up at the castle, silhouetted against the waning light. "Just a few hundred stairs to go and we're in guys! Let's go!" She threw herself at the stairs and started to race up them. The boys, somewhat winded from the long run, followed rather more slowly.  
  
"Where on Earth does she get the energy?" Yugi grumbled, half yawning as he stumbled along like a zombie with a leg defect.  
  
Yami grinned. "Come on Yugi. We don't want to let her get too far ahead. They might not let us in without her, and you have to sleep on these cold stone steps."  
  
"At least I'd be asleep" Yugi yawned, but increased his rate of stumbling nonetheless.  
  
They caught up to Tea at the top. The dancer was chatting amicably with Rex Raptor, who was apparently stuck doing guard duty.  
  
"It's not the hours I mind" he confessed to Tea, "It's the fact that I'm stuck out here all day with no one to talk to. This used to be Kimo's job, but he has the flu."  
  
"Who else has arrived already?"  
  
Rex frowned, recollecting the faces. "Mai came in this morning" he said, "And Julia Nesbitt was just after her. Keiko Toshiro and Ishizu Ishtar both arrived at about noon. Akumu Kino came by at one thirty. I remember because I was eating lunch then. And just ten minutes ago Ami Ryuta ran by. Nearly plowed me over." His frown turned puzzled. "She was screaming something like 'the demons re coming'."  
  
Tea took a strand of her hair and twisted it thoughtfully. These were some tough customers. Ami had nearly done her in and Akumu had forced her into a draw. Ishizu had shown her duelling skills in Battle City and Mai was always a nasty opponent no matter what tournament you fought her in. Tea had heard Mai talk about Julia Nesbitt before. Her father had once been the tech expert of Kaiba Corp and she specialised in a vicious machine deck. From what she'd heard about Keiko Toshiro, she was as new to tournament play as Tea was.  
  
But one thing was still bugging Tea. "Hasn't Zev shown up yet?" Rex shook his head emphatically.  
  
"No way. She has a flair for the dramatic and won't show up until it's totally dark. She's saving the last spot for herself and taking out anyone else who comes to the castle."  
  
"Why'd she let me by then?"  
  
Rex shrugged. "Who knows? She creeps me out, that one. Maybe she wants you in the finals."  
  
Tea almost shivered at that when Yugi and Yami finally showed up. Rex sighed. "Alright you guys, go on in. When Zev comes in then I'll join you. Until then enjoy the party."  
  
Rex used a key around his neck to unlock the door. Tea, Yugi and Yami were admitted to the court room of Pegasus' castle.  
  
The room was extremely big. But she had seen it last time. Tea was more interested in the competition. The seven duellists each had brought a person or so and the whole gang was mingling in the hall conversationally. A band in the back corner played requests and a table along the side was loaded with food stuffs. That was all Tea could absorb before Pegasus swept up.  
  
"Ah Tea-girl!" The multi-millionaire grinned happily through his silvery bangs. "Welcome to the finals! I must admit that I've tracked your progress through my tournament with great interest and pleasure."  
  
This surprised Tea somewhat. Pegasus was seriously watching her duels? "Really?"  
  
"Of course! I always keep track of new talent and you are quit new. Please, enjoy yourself here for a while. The first rounds of the finals begin tomorrow." Pegasus seemed about to say something else but he caught sight of Yugi and Yami. His smile turned slightly sinister. "Ah little Yugi and his spiritual friend. Enjoying yourselves?"  
  
Yugi nodded, not answering. Yami looked straight into Pegasus' eyes. "Well enough" he answered coldly. His gaze trailed to the Millennium Eye, hidden behind a lock of hair. Pegasus' grin widened slightly.  
  
"Perhaps one day we could have a rematch" Pegasus said. "I still think I should have won our first duel, but what can you do? Do enjoy yourselves. Mingle and commune. The fun begins tomorrow." With a slight bow, Pegasus strolled off through the room.  
  
Yami glared after him. "I just don't like that man" he muttered. Tea smiled.  
  
"Ah relax and enjoy yourself. When do you get the chance to be pampered by the Bill Gates of cards?" She grabbed his arm and dragged him off. "Come on. You're going to be sociable if I have to make you be sociable."  
  
As Yugi waved goodbye to Yami, he heard someone behind him squeal. "CUBLING!" He was then promptly tackled to the floor by an insanely happy Ami, who proceeded to hug him like a stuffed alligator. His eyes bugged out and his face started turning blue. "Can't...breathe" he gasped.  
  
Fortunately Ami either heard him or decided to let go to pick him up and dance around with him just for fun. "Ami happy! The game is fun, lots of good gamers here! But they're all so suspicious of each other. Ami can't start a conversation without other people staring!"  
  
Regaining his feet, Yugi shook his head woozily. "Are you sure that's because they're all suspicious?"  
  
Ami blinked for a moment then laughed, swinging Yugi around in a circle.  
  
Meanwhile Tea and Yami were making their making their way through the random people to the snack table. Wandering across the island all day took a lot of energy it seemed, and Tea was eager to recharge on something, sugar preferably. "Sorry" she muttered as she brushed against another girl. Then she blinked and looked up and smiled at who she saw. "Mai! How are you girl?"  
  
Mai turned her head and grinned. "Tea! You made it after all!" She caught the younger girl in a headlock and mussed her hair up. "You really did it! You've made it to the best of the girls here. I was sure Crawford or Nesbitt would have taken you out by now, but here you are, alive and kicking!" She waved to Yami while Tea flailed. "How are you doing? This place bringing back some old memories?"  
  
Yami nodded solemnly while Tea yanked her head out from under Mai's arm. "A few, yes. I'm surprised Pegasus doesn't have eliminators running around the island, actually."  
  
"He stopped employing them after his last tournament", a strange girl said as she walked up to the little group with a strangely fluid gait. "I believe they are part of his security details now."  
  
Tea smiled politely and extended a hand. "Tea Gardner."  
  
"Julia Nesbitt." Ignoring Tea's hand, the strange girl walked off.  
  
Tea blinked. "The heck?" she muttered. Mai grinned.  
  
"That's Julia for you" she said. "More like a robot than any person has a right to be. Good duellist though. Creeps me out sometimes."  
  
Tea 'hmm'ed to herself a bit, the competition on her mind. "So seven of the finalists are here already? What about Zev?"  
  
Mai's expression soured with the speed of someone who's just bitten into an overripe lemon. "I was having a nice day until you mentioned her. She'll show up when it's dark out. She thinks it's cool." The blonde rolled her eyes, indicating exactly what she thought.  
  
"What the heck went on between you two?" Yami asked, somewhat incredulously. He had never seen such mutual animosity!   
  
Mai tossed her hair back. "That's between me and the psycho" she said coldly. Clearly the topic was going to change. Not wanting a drink thrown in his face, Yami just shrugged and didn't press the subject.  
  
Fixing her ruffled hair, Tea snagged a glass of punch from a passing waiter. Eyeing it, she casually asked, "So what's this I hear about you and Joey?"  
  
Once again Mai's expression changed, to a mixture of embarrassment and smugness. "Jealous?" she taunted.  
  
"Curious". Tea deflected the verbal arrow with shrug. Taking a sip of her drink, she winked a blue eye at the older girl and smiled. Mai smiled back and cocked an eyebrow at Yami. Yami had no idea what was going on but was getting a little creeped out and excused himself to the bathroom.  
  
The two girls exchanged glances and laughed.  
  
"Something funny?"  
  
Tea knew that voice. Her laughter cut out and her blue eyes turned frosty. Turning, she found herself looking at a certain reincarnated slave who had a grudge against Yami. "Rex Raptor said you'd survived" she said by way of greeting. "I guess I'll have to beat you myself."  
  
Akumu shrugged, the shoulders of her dark cloak lifting slightly. "You might, but you probably won't. What makes you think we'll even be matched in the finals?"  
  
"Call it an intuition."  
  
"There is that. Of course, I've made certain modifications to my deck." Akumu leaned against the snack table and allowed a slow smile to spread across her face. With a certain smugness saturating her smile, she continued. "Have you changed your deck around? I thought not. Now I know what you have and you don't know what I do."  
  
Tea rolled her eyes and glanced over at Mai. "It's sad, isn't it, how some people enjoy the bluster so much. It's a sign of no real skill."  
  
Mai laughed scornfully. "Boy Akumu, I always thought you preferred the duel to the taunting!"  
  
Akumu casually flipped Mai the finger. "Butt out Valentine, this is personal" she casually told the blonde girl. "Get in my way and I'll take care of you too."  
  
"Do you enjoy insulting my friends or are you just bored?" Tea demanded.  
  
"Use that intuition of yours. And in the meantime, prepare. You've already lost." Akumu bowed ironically. "You just don't know it yet, but if you think you can stand against a five thousand year old grudge then be my guest. It's just one more point against Yami." She turned and stalked away with a mocking flip of her wrist.  
  
Tea seethed. "I don't like her" she growled.  
  
Mai looked over, somewhat amused. "What'd you do to tick off Akumu Kino? She never hangs around one place long enough for people to bug her."  
  
Tea turned her glare to Mai. "That's entirely between me and Akumu, isn't it?"  
  
Mai looked innocent. Tea was about to snap at her again when a Brooklyn accent rang out. "Sweet! Brownies! Hi girls."  
  
Mai sighed gustily and watched her boyfriend guzzle chocolate with a kind of annoyed fondness. "It's reassuring to know that I take second place to food" she said, sounding only slightly sarcastic. "I wouldn't want to think that there's something wrong in the world."  
  
Joey swallowed and smiled. "You can't ignore your body's needs Mai-mai. You know I love you."  
  
Mai rolled her eyes and hugged him. "You're lucky I understand the way you think, you big lug." Joey hugged her back, a smug grin on his face.  
  
Tea blinked a couple of times. "'Mai-mai?' Um, right. I'm going to go talk to Serenity."  
  
This time it was Joey's turn to roll his eyes. "She's probably hanging with Rex Raptor. She thinks he's 'cute'. He is not." The last part was grumbled under his breath and obviously not meant to be heard, so Tea did the polite thing and ignored it.  
  
It turned out that Serenity WAS standing by the castle doors, making cute eyes at Rex Raptor, who was enjoying the whole thing. At the time of Tea's arrival, he was telling her why he loved dinosaurs.  
  
"I think it dates back to my first trip to a museum" he explained learnedly. "I was three at the time, and I was in preschool. The teacher had decided to take us to the museum so she could make it look like she was teaching us something without actually doing any work." Rex made a face. "I just hate people who try to duck their responsibilities."  
  
Serenity nodded. "Yeah! If you're supposed to do something then just do it. Trying to avoid it just makes you look like an ass."  
  
Rex nodded. "Anyway, while I was checking out the museum I was in the dinosaur wing and some bully had been following me. I guess he wanted my milk money or something. The creep was about to hurt me when, I swear this is true, something big grabbed him and lifted him right over my head! He screamed, but by then I fainted, and when I woke up I was alone in the dinosaur wing."  
  
A newly arrived Tea shared Serenity's skepticism. "Are you sure?" she asked. "Maybe a security guard or someone caught him and dragged him off."  
  
Rex's expression turned solemn. "It couldn't have been a security guard. The kid's half-eaten corpse was lying next to me when I woke up."  
  
"Say what?!"  
  
"Are you serious?!"  
  
Rex let the silence linger for a moment before releasing a snicker. "No, I'm just fooling with you. I woke up when the teacher found me lying on the floor. But I never did see that bully again. Since then dinosaurs were a lot cooler to me."  
  
Tea, whose spine had been twitching at the story, scowled. "You were saved as a child by a dinosaur?"  
  
"Cool!" Tea turned her scowl on Serenity, and then sighed at the look on her friend's face. It was that of a girl who had fallen hard. 'Girls' she thought ironically. 'Go figure.'  
  
"So", said Tea, eager to turn the conversation away from dinosaurs and their probable existence in this day and age, "How did you get this job anyway? Last I saw, you were duelling in Pagasus' last tournament."  
  
Serenity decided to field that question. "Rex got sick of the fame and asked Pegasus for a job."  
  
Rex nodded, smiling at Serenity. "Not a lot of reporters make it to the island. Croquet sees to that."  
  
"How?"  
  
The dinosaur duellist pointed to the coastal cliffs. "Croquet is in charge of the island defences. He's got mortars and shells posted all along the cliffs. You have to be pretty lucky to fly or sail through that stuff. Why, once I even saw him blow up a passenger liner for getting too close!"  
  
"The heck?!" Tea turned swiftly and stared at the middle-aged man standing in a corner of the ball, talking on a cell phone. Then her eyes narrowed and she glared at Rex. "You're joking again, aren't you?"  
  
Rex's serious expression held up until Serenity poked him in the ribs. He twisted away jerkily. "Careful! I'm ticklish there." At Serenity's sudden grin, he covered his mouth hurriedly. But it was far too late. The younger girl had jumped on him and began tickling his ribs with an unholy light in her eyes.  
  
"Confess!" she cackled as she reduced Rex to a giggling mess with her powers of tickling. "You were joking about the mortars, weren't you?"  
  
"Sere" Rex laughed, barely able to get two syllables out. "Can't breathe... Stop...tickling..."  
  
"Confess!"  
  
"Agh!" Rex gasped. "Can't...breathe!"  
  
Tea was getting really freaked out now. "And I thought Mai and Joey were bad", she muttered as Rex finally relented and confessed that he had made up the part about shooting down approaching ships, tears streaming down his face. Finally the tough little guy collapsed on the ground and just laughed while Serenity hugged him. The younger girl looked up at Tea, grinning.  
  
"Isn't he so cute?" she asked sweetly, fiddling with his unruly black hair. Rex regained breath enough to mutter, "I gotta ask Pegasus for a transfer. This job is too dangerous."  
  
Tea rolled her eyes as Serenity giggled. "Are you aware of how insane you sound?" She tossed her hands up in exasperation at the younger girl's nod. "I give up! I'm going back inside before whatever's got you two gets me. Yeesh! I hope I don't ever act like that." Tea muttered the last part as she stalked back inside. She would have thought more, but the lights suddenly went out.  
  
Typical girly girls would probably have screamed in terror or clung to someone, but these weren't ordinary girls. Ami did shriek out 'Demons!' but that probably had nothing to do with the actual dark. Instead, they simply muttered amongst themselves. "Hey!" one of them yelled out. It sounded like Akki. "Someone hit the lights, will ya?"  
  
"Nobody panic" Pegasus' voice sounded out. "We're just experiencing a little technical difficulty. Remain calm. We'll get the power turned back on in a mere moment."  
  
By the door, Tea thought she saw something but knew she couldn't have. Three ghostly figures had flitted through the darkness and into the room. Wraiths and ghosts weren't real, she knew that. Or she thought she did. But she was pretty sure that Pegasus would have said or done something by now. His Millennium Eye would let him read their minds. But if they weren't ghosts, then what were they?  
  
Recognition slammed into Tea half a heartbeat before a dainty snort from Mai's location reached her ears. "Nice try Crawford" the blond snapped. "Having fun?"  
  
"Very much so!" Tea ground her teeth at Zev's bone chilling laugh. The lights flicked back on, revealing the self-proclaimed Dark Destroyer standing in the middle of the room, grinning like a demon who'd just destroyed several elven villages in an orgy of blood, guts, and death in general.  
  
Now that she thought of it, Tea wasn't surprised Zev would try this. This was just like the time she scared the bejeezus out of her at the campfire.  
  
What was surprising was that she had company. A gleeful looking Bakura and a harassed looking Ryou were accompanying Zev. The female Darth Vader waved to the crowd, participants or otherwise.  
  
"Hello girls! Nice to see you all! Don't mind me. Just continue doing what you were doing. DO IT! That's better." The status quo restored, Zev and her entourage walked about the room, chatting at the other duellists in passing. "Looking good Julia. Ishizu! Any new prophecies recently? Still kicking around Akumu? How've you been Mai-mai? This your new boyfriend?"  
  
Mai grinned oddly. She answered Zev's question with a flippant answer, knowing her. But unlike Zev she kept her voice down. The other girl didn't like the answer. She glared at Joey hatefully. The blonde just snaked an arm around and said something carelessly.  
  
Even from across the room, Tea could see Zev's eyes blaze with unholy fire and she flinched. Even Bakura stepped back a bit. Joey's eyes widened but he didn't have time to do anything else. Zev was on him in an instant, an unearthly shriek tearing from her throat. Bakura and Ryou jumped on her back, forcing her down, but not before she'd torn open Joey's face with her nails.  
  
Tea found herself running to the scene, along with Yugi and Yami. Most of the other girls stayed away; THEY knew better than to get involved with one of Zev's tantrums. By the time she got there, she was furious and Zev had calmed down. "What the fucking Hell is wrong with you?!" she screamed at the grey-haired girl.  
  
Zev smiled pleasantly. "It's good to see you again too, Tea. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm quite famished. Bakura, Ryou, we're going to the dining room."  
  
Bakura nodded and grinned a 'She is SO better than your girlfriend' at Yami before following her. Ryou heaved a sigh from the tips of his toes. "Sorry about that, mates" he apologised. "It was good to see you again though." Then he scurried after her too.  
  
Silence reigned in the courtroom for several seconds, during which Mai tended to Joey's face. Then Pegasus smiled brightly. "Well my friends, if you'll just follow my niece then we can all sit down for supper."  
{}{}{}

Joey: MY FACE! MY VALUABLE FACE!  
  
Magicman: Uh huh. Well, this chapter's up. So sorry for the wait.


	14. The night before

_**Tea's Time to Shine**_

Magicman: So busy... Lots of school...

Joey: Poor guy. He just hit university and has to get up at 5:30 in the morning.

Tea: It's amazing he can find any time to do things at all.

Pegasus: Ah well. Such is life. Think of the school I had to go to. On with the fic!

* * *

"So Yugi, why exactly are Tea and Miss Crawford at each others throats?" Ryou asked the innocent question at the banquet table where the duellists and their guests sat and feasted. It was a big room and all sorts of foods were served. Joey loved it and was eating some kind of cheese by Mai.

Yugi shrugged helplessly and with annoyance at Ryou's question. "Zev beat Yami in a duel one night, and I guess that pissed Tea off. She stuck up for him and screamed at Zev, using some words I've never heard her use before. Then Zev and Bakura took off laughing and promising to come after Tea some time."

Ryou nodded. "I remember that night. Bakura was laughing and chuckling and snickering all night. I couldn't get any sleep. Of course I get to sleep till noon anyway."

Tea scowled as she continued stabbing her baked potato. "Stupid Zev with her stupid evil deck" she kept muttering to herself.

Ryou nodded, trying to humour her. "Anyway, do any of you know what the match ups for next round are?"

Yami pointed to a bug jumbo screen on one end of the room. "My guess is that Pegasus will reveal them during the meal like last time. At least the soup will probably be eyeball free."

At that moment a Brussels sprout went flying through the air and landed in Yami's salad where it rolled to a halt and appeared to stare at him.

The pharaoh's eye twitched and he looked down the table. At the end, Bakura and Zev were grinning and waving happily.

Yami scowled and picked up a roll. Tossing it up and down for a moment, he chucked it hard in the dynamic duo's direction. It bounced off of Bakura's forehead and landed in his soup, splashing his face. Bakura scowled evilly as Zev laughed. The sinister spirit was about to retaliate when the sound of someone clearing his throat into a microphone sounded.

"Ahem! Is this thing on? Testing, testing. Okay then." Pegasus spread his hands grandly. "Welcome duellists and guests! You have all done extremely well, and truly you are highly skilled and talented. I salute you all."

Pegasus saluted, drawing cheers and catcalls from the girls. Grinning, the multi-billionaire held up a remote control and pressed a button. "If you'll direct your attention to the screen, you will see the pairings for the finals tomorrow. I assure you that everything has been done randomly by a computer, and I have no prior knowledge as to the match ups. Now, how about we take a look see?"

A grid composed of eight lines that joined together at the top by a diadem appeared on the screen. Beside each line at the bottom was a picture of a specific girl.

Pegasus smiled happily. Round one will be Miss Julia Nesbitt against Miss Keiko Toshiro.

Keiko grinned cockily at Julia. "I guess you're going to be the first one out slinger!"

Julia shrugged. "Not likely."

"Round two will be Ami Ryuta against Ishizu Ishtar. Ishizu, please hold off the predicting your opponent's moves."

Ishizu nodded as Ami cheered and danced around. "Yay! I get to duel Miss Spooky!"

Ishizu blinked. "Spooky? What gave you that idea?" Everyone in earshot just kind of stared at her. "What?!"

Marik sighed and put his face in his hand. "Oh sis..."

Pegasus cleared his throat. "Ahem. Round three will be Tea Gardner against the ever mysterious Akumu Kino."

Akumu grinned cockily at Tea and snapped her fingers derisively. "Must be that feminine intuition working, eh?"

But Tea wasn't looking at Akumu. Her eyes were on Mai, one of the final two duellists. In her turn, Mai's gaze was fixed on her opponent. Zev was watching her, a small smile on her lips. The energy seemed to crackle in the air. Then Zev stood up slowly. "I'll see you tomorrow Mai-mai", she said, that grin never leaving her face. Then she turned on her heel and walked away slowly.

Mai watched her go, her delicate features devoid of expression. "I look forward to finally burying it" She whispered, her voice soft. Even Joey, who was sitting next to her, could barely hear it.

Pegasus cleared his throat again. "Once again my dear guests, I assure you that all of these matches have been completely randomized. No outside opinion had any influence at all on them. (Magicman: Ha!)" The silver-haired multi-billionaire spread his arms grandly, a grin on his face. "And now my friends, I bid you goodnight. You will find your room number under your place mat. Round one begins at nine o'clock sharp tomorrow morning. Sleep well!"

* * *

The atmosphere of Pegasus' castle was extremely tense. In rooms all across the elegant building girls were strategising for the next day.

* * *

Ishizu was wondering if she'd be able to contain the looming danger. She still couldn't see what it was, but she knew it was close. Until it struck, all she could do was prepare her deck and wait.

* * *

Julia Nesbitt sat on her bed, her hands clasped. Behind her cold emotionless exterior, a cunning mind whirled with plans and strategies. She had calculated her odds of success to a fraction of a decimal place, and the odds were favourable.

* * *

Keiko Toshiro was doing a handstand while she tried to remember everything she'd ever heard about her first opponent. The handstand always seemed to focus her thoughts, though she always got a headache.

* * *

Akumu was remembering a time five thousand years ago. She had been happy then. Then she remembered how that time had ended and fury overcame her thoughts. Tomorrow she'd get her payback.

* * *

Ami slept soundly. Running around all day was exhausting.

* * *

Bakura walked down the halls of the castle silently, memorizing the twists and turns as he went. It was a habit from his days as a thief and he'd never been able to drop it. Why would he want to? It was a useful skill. And it reminded him of times when he'd searched through the wreckage of ancient pyramids. That was how he'd originally come by his Millennium Ring, actually. Those were the days. Of course now he had to play second fiddle to some wussy British kid. What was the world coming to?

Bakura shivered slightly. This castle was cold and he didn't like it. The dessert's heat had always kept him warm, but this country was only a step up from frigid.

Deciding that this was enough wandering for the night, Bakura took a left turn that would lead back to the room he and his lighter side shared. He should get some sleep. Tomorrow, he would get the pleasure of watching Zev duel. The thought brought a smirk to his face. She had such an elegant synergy with the darkness element. It was almost like she too was a spirit of the dark.

Here he was at his room. Bakura opened the door, stifling a yawn, and stepped inside. He stopped just after he'd closed the door behind him. It was surprising to him that the object of his thoughts was sitting in the darkened room.

Zev half sat, half lay on the over stuffed couch. Her arm was tossed over the back of the couch and she sat perfectly still. Just chilling in the darkness.

Bakura almost thought she was asleep. Then she turned her head and looked at him. It was stunning how the darkness enhanced her beauty. It covered her grey eyes with mystery and made her pale skin glow. Her entire bearing was relaxed and subdued.

Slowly she raised her hand and gestured delicately. "Sit. And talk with me." Even the words were hushed.

Hardly aware of what he was doing Bakura walked over to Zev and sat down on the couch opposite of her. He thought of her words, recognising the quote. "A movie watcher, hmm?"

Zev's lips curved upward. "Of course. Legend was my favourite as a child."

Bakura didn't answer. He was content to just watch the girl, a strange sensation slowly settling into his chest.

Zev continued to talk in her quiet manner. "I came here tonight to clear the air between us. Uncle Max told me about his last tournament and how he was defeated. Both times."

Something caught in Bakura's throat. "Zev...."

"Let me finish. I'm saying that I know what you did to him. You attacked him in the shadows when he was till weak from fighting Yugi. You tore out his Millennium Eye and left him for dead. Your attack left him in a coma, because his life force was in that eye. Only when that Shaddi guy gave it back did he wake up. This tournament is his reentry into the world of the living. He's all right now, but it was close. You nearly destroyed my only family."

Bakura let his breath hiss between his teeth. "And now you hate me. Is that what you're trying to say?"

Zev didn't answer for a second. Then she chuckled slightly, a low and throaty sound.

"You can be too adorable sometimes. No, I don't hate you." She extended her hand, lightly touching it to the pale skin of Bakura's cheek. She stroked it lightly, giving him a shiver. "How could I hate someone so much like me? How could I hate the other half of my soul?"

Zev leaned forward a little, and for the first the shadows seemed to recede a bit, revealing her smoke-grey eyes to Bakura. It stunned him. He had always assumed that Zev Crawford could feel only hate and rage and sadistic glee. But now her eyes seemed to glow with something else.

A pajama-clad Ryou chose this moment stumble blearily in from the bathroom. He blinked at the sight, surprise written all over his features. "Oh my" he murmured. "I am so sorry! I didn't think...."

"Go back to sleep Ryou" Zev said softly, never taking her eyes from Bakura's.

"Oh. Well, see you in the morning." He looked like he was about to say something else, but he swallowed it and scurried from the room quickly.

Bakura shuddered as the girl rested her hand on his cheek. He clasped it in his own, gently. "Zev...."

"Kiss me."

The ancient spirit blinked. "What did you say?"

Zev's smirk changed to an almost gentle smile. "Kiss me. Just do it. Prove something to me."

Bakura needed no more encouragement. He reached out and cupped her face with a gentleness that surprised and scared him. The sensation in his chest had overwhelmed his being, and it drove him to lean forward. As he pressed his lips to Zev's lovingly and felt her arms wrap around him and entwine in his hair he finally understood what the feeling in his stomach was all about. His last coherent thought before they fell back on the couch was 'It figures that I would finally fall for a psychopath like her. Ah well. I guess I'll learn to live with it.'

* * *

Tea fell back on her bed, sighing happily. Everything was set up. She had gone over her deck, had followed up with a shower, and was finally able to relax. The scented sheets and the silken pink nightgown were heaven on her senses. All she needed now was to sleep. Sleep... Sweet sleep...

Someone knocked on her door. Tea sighed and opened her eyes. "Come on in. The door's unlocked." She sat up as Yami opened the door a bit and stuck his head inside.

"Tea? Can I talk to you? It's kind of important."

"Sure." Tea sat up and scooted back, leaving a space on her bed. Accepting her invitation, Yami sat down carefully, not wanting to shake the mattress. Before he could say what he wanted, he looked at Tea carefully. He watched the way she cocked her head to the side. He noticed how her eyes blinked in that slow curious way. He saw her fingers curl slightly around the blanket. Yes. He was right. And his heart hadn't lied to him.

"Tea" Yami began, "Do you remember, after your duel with Ziane...Akumu? We talked and I told you about my former life?"

Tea nodded. "Yes, I remember."

"Do you remember how I told I married a princess and grew to love her eventually?"

"Yes..."

"Well, lately I've been noticing things about you. You and Anzu."

Tea cocked her head. "Anzu?"

"That was her name. I've noticed things about the two of you, like the way you chew your thumbnail when you think, and how you turn your head to the side when you're embarrassed. You see?" Yami smiled and tilted Tea's blushing face back up to where he could see it. "Well...what it comes down to is that I think you're her."

"What?"

"I've been thinking this over very seriously. Akumu actually gave me the thought. I think you might be the reincarnation of Anzu Mazaki, whom I loved five thousand years ago."

Tea didn't take the news the way Yami thought she would. She blinked slowly, chewing on her thumbnail, her eyes never leaving Yami's face. Finally she asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

Yami was startled. "I thought you should know."

"Yes, but why?" Tea's eye cocked shrewdly. "Are you trying to say that you love me? Or that you still love Anzu?"

"What do you mean?"

Tea paused, thinking of a way to explain. "Yami have you ever watched Inuyasha?"

Yami had, actually. Yugi had made him watch his favourite episode with him and the spirit had been hooked instantly. The comparison of Kagome and Kikyo to Tea and Anzu was absurd in his mind. But he could see where Tea was coming from. Personally he didn't pity Inuyasha, having to choose one of them.

Luckily Yami's choice was clear.

Yami took Tea's hand in his own. He smiled reassuringly. "You are Anzu. And Anzu is you. How could I love one of you without loving the other?"

The look of relief was fleeting but it was there, swiftly hidden behind the broad smile that crossed Tea's features. "So now that all that's cleared up what did you want to tell me? Something special I presume? Something that would make my night totally wonderful? Something that I've been wanting you to say to me since before this tournament started?"

Yami's smile turned teasing. "Well maybe. In all the confusion I think I've forgotten it. But now that you mention it-"

He was cut off when Tea tackled him. Losing balance, they fell and landed heavily on the floor. Yami winced when his head banged against the floor. "Ouch."

"Oh shut up!" Tea kissed him quickly then drawing back to see the stunned look on his face. "You're happy I take it? Good. I've wanted to do that for a while now, and I'm not very romantic, so I love you. There, I said it."

Before Yami could answer Tea pasted her lips to his. "Hmm" he hummed through the kiss and just enjoyed it. Girls would still be crazy whether he did or not.

Meanwhile in the living room, Yugi lay awake on the couch. He heard the two teens fall on the floor and he sighed, a bleak expression on his face. 'It's too late now' he thought miserably. 'I missed my chance.'

* * *

Mai and Joey lay next to each other in bed, breathing hard and sweaty. Their nightclothes lay on the floor where they were flung. Joey smiled at her dreamily, tweaking her blonde hair. "You're so good at that, you know?" He yawned. "Now I'm all sleepy."

Mai grinned back, stroking her hand over his chest. "You're lucky I know you so well. I might take offence at that."

Joey giggled and snuggled his head into her shoulder. After a few moments his breathing was even and slow.

Mai was about to join him in sleep when he mumbled to her. "Mai?"

"Yes honey?"

"I love you. I really do."

Mai's violet eyes widened in shock. She knew he'd been intensely attracted to her, and the feeling was more than mutual. Their current state of undress made that screamingly obvious. But she'd had no idea he was in love with her!

As Mai watched Joey sleep, outside a cloud drifted from in front of the moon. Rays of moonlight drifted down through the window to illuminate the blonde teenager. He shifted in his sleep, snuggling closer to the older girl.

Watching him lie there made Mai smile suddenly. She gently stroked his hair and lay back. 'I guess I could get used to it' she thought before she drifted off to dreamland.

* * *

That night as Pegasus skimmed through his security cameras, several sights on them made him blink in surprise. "Maybe the wine I provided for the banquet was just a tad too strong" he said, swirling a glass of said wine. Then he shrugged. "Ah well. No help for it now."

* * *

Magicman: gasp Too...long... falls unconscious

Smokegirl: pokes Magicman with a stick

Pegasus: Well at least I had lines.

Tea: And I get to tangle with Akumu next time.

Joey: And the romance questions were answered. So folks, was it worth the wait? Meh. I'm just a character, so it doesn't bug me.


	15. Quarter FInals begin: Tea vs Akumu

_**Tea's Time to Shine**_

Magicman: I'd like to apologise, particularly to BECA. I tried to get this chapter up before New Year, but my computer crashed. Twice. It's like the computer itself is against me. Sigh…

Smokegirl: He was going at a good pace too.

Magicman: Anyway, whenever this gets out, I'm dedicating this one to BECA and hopefully it will make up for the late delivery. I hope you like it.

_IIIIIII_

The great hall where Pegasus was holding the duels hadn't changed since his last tournament. As usual the finalists would be battling upon a span that hung over pit that looked almost bottomless. Like last time, Pegasus observed the proceeding with glee from a chair on a balcony, high above the proceedings. It was the best view in the house, and even the second floor viewing area couldn't compete with it. And so when the finalists entered the hall at five minutes to nine in the morning, he had the perfect view to examine the faces of the competitors.

A trait that the girls seemed to have in common was that each had an air of smugness radiating from their persons. Keiko Toshiro for example wore a broad grin as she strode confidently at the front of the pack. Right behind her, Akumu Kino's smile was downright evil looking. It gave some spectators the chills just looking at her. On the other hand, Mai was looking particularly cocky, grinning as she snuggled into Joey's side. Zev's smirk was a mixture of Mai's cocky grin and Akumu's evil smile. The combination was made even more terrifying by a scowling Bakura, his hand wrapped possessively around her waist and glaring at every boy in sight. Even Tea wasn't free from a cocky little smile that played about her lips as her fingers toyed with Yami's. Only Julia Nesbitt who had no expression whatsoever and Ishizu who looked worried were free of smirks and smiles.

When all the girls had filed in, Pegasus stood up and spread his hands grandly. "Well my dears, you are all that's left of the hundreds of participants. I've followed your progress with interest and I can see great futures in store for you all. But for now, the championship of this tournament awaits, and I look forward to performances worthy of the word duellist. Good luck to you all!" Pegasus bowed and gestured. Croquet cleared his throat.

"Will all spectators please move to the observation area? The first duel will commence immediately after."

The duellists said farewell to their various retinues. Ishizu shooed Marik along as Zev forced Bakura into a kiss while Ryou sighed. As for Tea, she smiled at Yugi and Yami as they wished her luck. Her eyes lingered with Yami as Yugi watched gloomily.

"Hey Yugi! I've been looking for you!"

Yugi turned, curious. "Akki? Is that you?" Akki smiled. "Yep! I'd wondered if you'd show up at the finals. I guess Tea's done pretty well for herself."

"Oh yeah! Tea's become really good! All of these girls are really good." A thought occurred to Yugi. "Did you make it to the finals too? I didn't hear your name announced last night."

Akki shook her head ruefully. "No, I lost my last star chip a couple of hours after we split up. I was running after Akumu when we got split up and I ran right into Julia Nesbitt." She rolled her eyes. "As you can imagine she's not one for small talk. She challenges me right away and then things get epic. To be honest, I really didn't stand a chance."

"Nesbitt is that good?"

"And then some! Have you ever played chess against a computer set on a really high difficulty? You know how they know what you're going to do before you do, have the perfect plan to counter it, never make a mistake, and never panic when you've taken the lead?" Akki gestured dramatically to Julia who stood patiently, waiting for Croquet to announce her match. "She's even worse."

"That bad?" Yugi watched the other girl with trepidation as Akki nodded vigorously.

"Akumu managed to get me in the castle anyway, but if Tea has to duel her she could be in trouble."

Croquet interrupted their thoughts by clearing his throat. "The first duel will commence in one minute. Miss Julia Nesbitt and Miss Keiko Toshiro, please step intot he duelling ring."

Keiko grinned and snapped her fingers as Julia. "It's time to lose slinger!"

Julia didn't answer. She merely walked calmly to her side of the arena and shuffled her deck. After a moment, Keiko snorted and did likewise. After a few more seconds of waiting, a buzzer sounded and both girls drew their starting hands.

"Here we go" a girl on the side murmured.

Julia won the coin toss and elected to go first. She drew her first card and then eyed Keiko dispassionately for several seconds. Finally she made her move. "I play Mechanical Chaser (1850/850) in defence mode. Then I set two cards facedown and end my turn."

All the girls watching knew what Nesbitt was trying to do. Julia had played the offensively strong machine in defence mode to goad Keiko into an attack. She was waiting to see what her opponent would do. Whether or not Keiko knew her opponent's intentions was hard to tell, because she attacked full on with a Berserk Gorilla (2000/1000). This opening move set the pace for the whole game. The duel went swiftly as both players unleashed their decks upon each other. It was clear what Keiko's strategy was. She had based her deck upon many varied themes, combining life gain, attack, hand destruction, and lockdown techniques. She was trying to come at Julia with an attack so varied that her opponent would be unable to thwart it. For the first part of the duel her strategy was successful. Her attack had forced Julia back into an all out defence, and their lifepoints were disparate. Julia's were nearly cut in half with 1050, and Keiko had actually increased hers to 3400. But Nesbitt wasn't finished. She was just getting started.

If there was one word that could be used to describe Julia Nesbitt, it would be 'analytical'. She never made a move without knowing what the consequences would likely be. And so she sacrificed her lifepoints without regret to discern exactly what Keiko was trying to do. Soon enough she knew the strengths of Keiko's deck, and its weaknesses. While its varied attacks were difficult to contain they were too varied. It was vulnerable to a single, sustained, focussed attack. With that strategy in mind Julia unleashed her strongest cards she had been saving. A Swords of Revealing Light bought her the time she time she needed to play her cards, and then she proceeded to take Keiko apart. She diced through Keiko's facedown traps with Cybernetic Sniper (1000/1000) and Blowback Dragon (2200/1300), blasted her monsters off the board with the Moving Fortress (1000/2400), and readied a Perfect Machine King (2700/2400) to steamroll her lifepoints.

Before ordering the final attack Julia paused and allowed a small smile to decorate her face. "Game over 'slinger'. Perfect Machine King, I command you to attack with Ballistic Missile Barrage."

The ultimate machine monster let fly from its shoulder-mounted rocket boxes. The barrage hurtled across Keiko's barren field and ploughed directly into her lifepoints, instantly dropping them to 0.

Croquet cleared his throat. "This match goes to Julia Nesbitt." The audience let go of a breath they weren't aware they had held.

Keiko sighed as she left her box. "One turn. I had a Dark Hole coming up, but it all came down to one turn. Ah well. We all lose eventually." She smiled and laughed it off. Going to join her friends on the sideline she waved carelessly to Julia. The machine duellist ignored her and leaned up against a wall.

Yugi blinked, still in shock at the end of the duel. "How did she do that?! Keiko had her backed into a corner all through the match!"

"It's like I told you Yugi" Akki said. "Julia Nesbitt never loses control of a duel. She's always the one who ends it. I even heard that she makes Kaiba Corp's best duelling computers look like a joke."

Their thoughts were interrupted again as Croquet announced the next match. "Miss Ishizu Ishtar and Miss Ami Ryuta please enter the arena. Your duel will begin in five minutes."

"Yay! Just me and Miss Spooky!" Ami cart wheeled enthusiastically to her side of the ring. Ishizu followed at a more leisurely pace. From the balcony Marik yelled "Don't embarrass me by losing!" Ishizu pretended not to hear him and got into position.

Tea was looking forward to this match. She knew firsthand how good both of the girls were, and she was sure this would be a hell of a match.

This time Ami won the coin toss. She drew and giggled at the cards. "One for me! And then one more for me!" Ami set one monster facedown and followed up with a facedown trap.

This duel was slower going than the previous match, but it was still thrillingly intense. Rather than a brutal head on attack, this was rather a duel between support cards. Ami's traps and magic cards ruthlessly crushed down Ishizu's ability to attack her, and Ishizu was trying to lock up Ami's deck to keep her from drawing any cards. Eventually though the slow process of the draw phase worked to Ami's advantage. The crazy girl had drawn her fourth piece when Ishizu played her trump cards. As Ami drew Ishizu activated her trap card Soul Purge. By paying 500 lifepoints, she could force both players to discard their hands and draw an equal number of cards to form a new hand. Ami scowled blackly as she discarded her Exodia pieces, including the head. Then Ishizu went on the attack with Heavy Storm, which her trap had allowed her to draw. With Ami's Gravity Bind and Level Limit Area B destroyed, Ishizu was able to attack her with powerful monsters like Gravekeeper's Chief and Gravekeeper's Assailant, backed up by the magical Necrovalley, Ishizu quickly forced Ami back into a corner. Ami even had to sacrifice her last Exodia piece as a blocker.

That was when Ami switched to plan B and sprung a trap of her own.

That trap was a magic card called Contract with Exodia, and it needed all five pieces in the graveyard to work. By giving up half of her lifepoints Ami was able to summon Exodia Necross (1800/0), a monster that was virtually indestructible and that would only get stronger as the game progressed. The beast quickly began to smash apart Ishizu's Gravekeeper armies. Even powered up by Necrovalley they were no match for the avatar of Exodia and traps and magic cards couldn't kill it either. Soon Ishizu had only a few hundred lifepoints left and it was looking grim. But then she pulled a lucky draw. She played Block Attack to force Exodia Necross into defence mode and then attacked it with her one remaining Gravekeeper Spear Soldier. Ami had made of point of destroying these monsters, but Ishizu had kept this one in her hand until now. The spearsoldier's special ability was akin to Fairy Meteor Crush and took full advantage of Exodia Necross' nonexistent defence. Ami's life points dropped to zero, while Ishizu's managed to stay at 300.

Croquet raised one hand impassively. "The winner and advancing to the semi-finals is Miss Ishizu Ishtar.

Ami scuffed the floor forlornly. "Ami lost…" She sighed sadly. Then she cheered up instantly. "Oh well!" She skipped merrily over to Ishizu who was just getting down from her box, then grabbed her hand and shook it fiercely. "Fun game! Fun game! You play games well!"

Ishizu couldn't help but smile as her hand was nearly torn off.

Croquet was prompt to announce the next match. "Miss Akumu Kino and Miss Tea Gardner please step into the duelling ring. Your match is about to begin."

Tea and Akumu glared at each other. It seemed as though little sparks were shooting from each other's eyes. From the balcony Yugi waved. "Go get her Tea!" he shouted.

Akumu heard Yugi and grinned. "It seems the little twerp has a thing for you. Isn't that sweet? It's just too bad that he's missed his chance and you're with that washed up pharaoh now."

The thought made Tea unaccountably angry. "Oh shut up and get ready to duel" she snarled. "I'll teach you to regret picking on my friends!"

"Try me" Akumu invited.

The two girls entered the ring. Both were totally psyched; they'd been waiting for this match all night. They shuffled their decks and waited for Croquet to declare the match on. Tension hung thick in the air.

At last Croquet cleared his throat. "This semi-final match begins now. Duel is on."

Tea drew her starting hand. "I think I'll start off this duel if you don't mind."

Akumu nodded, also drawing a hand. "Be my guest. It's not like it will matter in the end." She waited impatiently as Tea made a big show of considering her cards. After almost of minute of this she finally growled out "Did you learn how to delay your turns like this from Yami?"

"Oh no. I'm just deciding what the best move would be. Gemini Elf (1900/900) in attack mode." The twin elves materialised, ready for battle as Tea continued talking in a smooth voice. "Yami is good at duelling, but he does some other things even better. Take last night for instance…" She waved a hand dismissively. "But that's not important. It's your move."

But Tea had grabbed Akumu's attention. "What? What about last night? Tell me!" she barked angrily.

Tea raised an eyebrow and waggled it up and down suggestively. "You're his ex-girlfriend" she taunted sweetly. "I'm sure you'd know."

Akumu's face flushed a dark, angry red. Her clenched fist slammed down hard onto the duelling board. "You little bitch" she cursed in a low voice. "You'll regret that, I swear it. I'll make sure that you lose everything right here in this duel, just like I did five thousand years ago!" She slapped down a monster. "I summon Maha Vailo (1550/1400) in attack mode! And now I'll add this equip card Butterfly Dagger Elma, to increase his attack points by three hundred. With his special ability that brings his attack up even further to 2350!" She pointed accusingly at Tea. "Now destroy her monster with Sacred Lightning!"

Maha Vailo imitated his master's snarl and twirled the famed Butterfly Dagger in one hand. A nimbus of crackling blue energy powered up around the whirling weapon, and when he thrust it out a bolt of lightning flashed. The Gemini Elf was utterly destroyed and Tea's lifepoints dropped to 1550.

Tea shielded herself from the blast then straightened again, smirking. "Testy, are we?" she taunted. "You really should get a hold on that temper of yours. It's going to get you into trouble." She drew and her smirk widened. "Well isn't this ironic? I summon my own Maha Vailo in attack mode."

"And then" she continued when her monster had appeared, "I'll equip him with Axe of Despair. Unlike Butterfly Dagger, my axe raises my monster's attack by a decent number. Combined with his special ability, now he has 3050 attack points; more than enough to crush your monster" Tea added condescendingly. "Maha Vailo? Do me a favour and make your clone disappear, would you?"

Tea's spellcaster snorted contemptuously at his weaker counter part. Then he flicked back a strand of blonde hair and gathered the lightning to him. Channelling the magic through his axe, he swung the weapon hard. The shockwave crashed into Akumu's Maha Vailo with devastating force. The dark-haired girl was blasted back in her booth as her lifepoints dropped to 1300. She glared hatefully while Tea daintily selected one card to play facedown on the field before she ended her turn.

"Alright then. You have a stronger monster. Big deal." Akumu drew and decided her move. "I summon Skilled Dark Magician (1900/1700) in attack mode. Then I'll play two cards facedown. Go."

"Gladly." Tea cheerfully drew. As she looked at the card she continued her earlier line of conversation. "He's a great kisser, isn't he? Has he ever done that thing with his tongue to you? You know, it's like he's rolling his R's but in your mouth? Doesn't that just send you straight to heaven? Oh, I pass this turn." She placed a hand on her hip and grinned cockily, her monster imitating the stance.

Akumu's eyes narrowed with fury. Meanwhile, in the audience Yami's face was turning several different shades of red as most of the spectators turned to look at him. As Mai chuckled amusedly and said 'you dog!", and Yugi glared at him, he devoutly wished he could just vanish into the Millennium Puzzle to escape. Sadly the spectators kept him from it.

On the field things were heating up again as Akumu's anger continued to get the better of her. "I activate my trap card Collected Power! It draws all equip cards on the field to my monster, boosting him up to 2900 attack points, while yours is weakened."

A flash of power blinded all present. When the light cleared, Maha Vailo looked confused as his opponent spellcaster wielded his weapon.

"Next" Akumu continued, "I summon Mystic Caller (300/1800) in defence mode."

Tea blinked curiously. The spellcaster sat cross-legged on the floor of the holo-field. A strange glowing mask, half white and half black with two narrow eye slits adorned his face. He waved his hands mysteriously over a small fire. "What does that thing do?" she asked.

"You'll find out sooner or later. Now you have my Skilled Dark Magician to deal with though, so concentrate on him while he attacks your stinking Maha Vailo! Attack with Dark Lightning!"

Twin black lightning bolts blasted forth from Skilled Dark Magician's three pronged staff. They streaked jaggedly toward the weaker light monster. Maha Vailo faced its demise boldly, with hands outstretched to confront the attack. Then he suddenly wasn't alone. Three blue-robed sages appeared around him, blocking Akumu's vicious attack with their holiness. Tea grinned as her opponent swore angrily. Her favourite trap had come through for her again.

"Damn it!" Akumu pounded her fist onto the computer panel. "You can't dodge my attacks forever!"

"The way you're flailing around, I won't need to." Tea drew a card and considered her options. "I switch Maha Vailo into defence mode, play one more card facedown, then summon Fire Princess (1300/1500) in defence mode." The brunette popped up next to her colleague, knelling in defence. She high-fived Maha Vailo and then they faced Akumu's stronger monster with grim stoicism. Tea grinned. "Aren't they cute? I think they like each other."

"THEY ARE JUST CARDS!" Akumu's scream shook the building. "They can't like each other, and they can't have feelings! Skilled Dark Magician, get them! Destroy that Fire Princess and make her shut up! Dark Lightning attack!"

Tea shrugged. "You really had this coming. I activate another trap. Mirror Force!"

Akumu swore again as her monster powered up. "Hold your fire!" she yelled. "If you attack you're finished!"

It was too late. Skilled Dark Magician fired his magical attack at Fire Princess, only to have it reflected back by a magical wall. Caught unaware, the dark monster was eliminated by his own attack.

"You see what I mean? When you're mad, you flail without strategy or even thinking things through. You're no challenge like this." Tea shrugged helplessly.

Akumu breathed hard. Her pupils dilated. The breath snorted through her nostrils. Her fist clenched until her knuckles were white. And then she stopped. Slowly she managed to calm down and forced herself to think. As much as it pained her to admit it, Tea was right. There was no way she could win like this. She closed her eyes, held them shut for a few seconds, and when she opened them they were clear again. She smiled wryly. "Clever" she acknowledged. "You deliberately tried to get me too mad to fight. Well I'm on to you now. I won't let you win, no matter how cunning you are."

Tea smirked. "So you did catch on. Now I guess I'll have to start getting serious."

"Yes." Akumu settled back to plan her moves carefully. "Round two starts now."

_IIIIIII_

Magicman: Good God, that took way too long to finish. I'm so sorry. I've been really uninspired and short on time, or depressed about things.

Tea: There, there. You did get the chapter finished. And I thought it was pretty good. You managed to get to my duel without neglecting the others'.

Magicman: Aw thanks. I only hope you readers out there liked it too. And now to explain some cards I invented. Pegasus?

Pegasus: Of course.

Cybernetic Sniper (1000/1000)

Earth, Machine. This card lets you destroy one magic or trap card on your opponent's side of the field by discarding one card from your hand. You can do this as many times per turn as you wish.

Moving Fortress (1000/2400)

Wind, Machine. This card lets you destroy one monster on your opponent's side of the field from the game by removing one machine on your side of the field from the game. Do this as many times per turn as you wish.

Mystic Caller (300/1800)

Dark, Spellcaster. You'll find out its effect next chapter when Akumu uses it. Hope that didn't cause you all too much suspense, but I have to keep some secrets.

Tea: Ciao for now!

Joey: And keep watching the skies!


	16. Mother of Magic: Duel turned deadly

_**Tea's Time to Shine**_

Magicman: At last my rotation schedule has shifted back to my baby. (Cuddles fic, getting strange looks.) Anyway, now for the review answering section. First off, thanks to all who reviewed. You brightened my day considerably. To YPoC, it was a tough decision. I was originally toying with a threesome concept, but the story just drifted. You know how plots work out sometimes. To BECA, no need to worry. From what I've learned about Akumu in this fic, she's a bitter girl. No forgiveness for her. And I never really considered Ryou and Pegasus. I guess you could say that they were the odd men out. To Isumo, the FBGs, Seabreeze, and DoI, thanks. I'll do my best. To Linkin Phoenix, I got my information from the show, where Kaiba duelled Gozaburo. It sounded appropriate enough so I put it in. To HA, yep! I haven't quite decided who though. Maybe they'll fight it out…

Smokegirl: Okay, enough hogging the spotlight. I'll field the rest. To Jade, thank you! I AM incredibly awesome, if I do say so myself. And I agree about Akumu. I'd have flipped too. And finally John… -- Don't walk past your window anytime soon, because I'll be waiting outside with a sniper rifle.

Magicman: O/ Uh, she's not serious.

Smokegirl: Hmph!

Tea: (whispers) Wrap it up, wrap it up.

Magicman: Oh yeah. Well let's get the show on the road, eh? Oh, by the way BECA, I think you'll like this part. I've been working on this monster for years, and only now have I perfected it.

_IIIIIII_

The duel was causing some interest among the other contestants. Keiko winced at Tea's vicious wordplay, and even Julia raised an eyebrow at the anger Akumu was showing. Pegasus loved every minute of it, and had even forgotten about his fruit juice in the excitement of the moment.

Akumu chewed her lip thoughtfully, eyeing Tea. The brown-haired girl was grinning carelessly. She hated that grin right now. It brought up some bad memories for her. Shaking loose, she examined the situation. Tea had two monsters on the field, Maha Vailo (1550/1400) and Fire Princess (1300/1500), both in defence mode with no facedown cards just yet. Neither was much threat on its own but the right cards could make them very dangerous. She didn't have any backup cards right now, so she should take the chance and destroy them now. Unfortunately her Skilled Dark Magician had just been destroyed, so she had to watch her lifepoints carefully.

"Alright Tea, I set one card facedown then pass it on to you." Akumu crossed her arms and waited.

Tea drew. Her eyes widened. "Whoa! Good card. I summon Wingweaver (2750/2450) in attack mode!"

The light flashed and the giant angel made her appearance, her wings flapping gently. Tea eyed Akumu's facedown card suspiciously but decided to attack anyway. "Destroy her Mystic Caller (300/1800) with Light Ray!"

The fairy put her hands together. Light particles gathered together between them, readying for a massive blast of magical energy. But before she could fire, Akumu activated her facedown card, yelling "Go Compulsory Evacuation Device!" A small device flicked out at Wingweaver and attached to her upper arm. The fairy didn't seem to notice and continued to power her attack, but then she vanished without a trace. Tea's eyes opened wide.

"Wow! What was that?"

"Compulsory Evacuation Device. It's a handy little gizmo that allows me to send one monster on the field back to its owner's hand." Akumu stuck out her tongue. "I won't let you win that easily!"

"That's good to know. For a minute I thought you'd just roll over and fall apart. Your turn."

"Good." Akumu drew. "First of all I summon a second Skilled Dark Magician." The magic user materialised, his features twisted with fury. Akumu lay down another card to join it. "Next I play the magic card Nightmare Steel Cage!"

The arena flashed and blackened steel bars dropped from the ceiling. Before Tea knew what was happening, she and her side of the field were encased in the massive cage. Her monsters looked around them uneasily. She glared at Akumu. "What have you done?"

"I just locked you away for two turns. Now you can neither attack nor be attacked. You won't be able to screw with my plans now!" Akumu folded her arms and smirked. "Your turn now."

Tea drew and tried to puzzle something out. Akumu had summoned her Skilled Dark Magician before playing her magic card. But she hadn't destroyed either of her spell casters. Why? Obviously she was up to something, but she just didn't know what. Tea scowled. "You're obviously planning something."

"Yes, I am. But can you guess what it is?" Akumu teased.

"No. But I can play a familiar card. Wingweaver! Return to the field in attack mode!" Tea played a card and the mighty fairy magically returned. She flapped her wings and glared at Akumu in annoyance. Tea nodded. "That's it for now. One of your turns is over."

"Of course it is." Akumu drew and grinned. "Perfect. I play Graceful Charity. This card lets me draw three cards and discard two more. Now I'll set one card facedown and end my turn."

Tea drew. The frown deepened. 'I have to break through and attack her.' She thought. 'But I don't have any cards that will do it. All I can do is increase my defences until I pull the right card.' She selected two cards from her hand and placed them facedown. "I play two cards down. Your turn. And your stupid cage disappears now."

Akumu drew as the iron bars faded away. "I pass this turn." Tea raised an eye as the creepy girl left both of her monsters undefended. The problem was that Akumu was no idiot.

"What do you think you're doing?" Tea said, scowling. "Are you taunting me or something?"

Akumu laughed and didn't answer. Tea scowled even further as she drew. "Then I call your bluff. Obviously that Mystic Caller of yours is special. So I'll destroy it first! Wingeweaver! Attack with Light Ray!"

Wingweaver powered up its ray and fired it at the defence mode monster. As the blast hurtled toward her monster, Akumu yelled out "Activate Rescue from the Grave!" A golden aura flashed onto the field and surrounded Mystic Caller. The Light Ray attack struck the aura with the force of a sledgehammer, yet even Wingweaver's awesome attack power couldn't force its way through. When the attack ended, Mystic Caller was still standing and Tea was getting ticked off.

"What was that! You didn't activate facedown cards!" she yelled. Akumu grinned, pleased that her opponent was losing it for a change.

"Rescue from the Grave is a magic card that can only be activated once it's in the graveyard" Akumu taunted. "It blocks any attack you make on my monsters for the turn. Ha! You just wasted an attack and gave me just what I wanted!" She snapped her fingers at Tea viciously.

Tea scowled for a second longer then resumed her careless grin. "Big words for someone whose been stalling for the last three turns. Haven't you drawn the card you've been waiting for yet?"

Akumu frowned. 'That grin again' she thought. 'It's really annoying. I know I've seen it before though. Heh. Let her grin. She won't be smiling for long.' The frown flipped. "I have what I need now. Prepare to lose your advantage." Akumu drew her card and selected another. "I summon Dark Magician Girl in attack (2000/1700) mode!"

Tea blinked in surprise as her favourite monster jumped onto the field with her customary adorable 'humph!' sound. "I didn't know you used a Dark Magician Girl."

"After our first duel, I made a few adjustments to my deck. This time I won't just tie with you!" Akumu continued. "Now I sacrifice my Skilled Dark Magician for his special ability!"

Tea's eyes widened. "His what!"

Akumu grinned wickedly as her monster shattered. "Skilled Dark Magician isn't as strong as a regular Dark Magician, but his power can grow with experience. After three magic cards are played, which I did, he can be sacrificed to bring forth a Dark Magician (2500/2100)! Ironic, isn't it? Yami's favourite monster will destroy his little girlfriend!"

The Dark Magician flipped forward onto the field to glare at Tea, who snorted. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but my Wingweaver outranks him by 250 attack points."

"I'm not done!" Akumu picked another card from her hand and slapped it down. "Next I play Sage's Stone!"

A glowing stone appeared in Dark Magician Girl's hand. Grinning, she threw it up into the air. It hung there for a few seconds, and the spell caster fired a magical blast at it. The energy reflected light in all directions, forcing spectators to avert their eyes. When the light faded, another Dark Magician stood next to his fellow.

Tea raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Sage's Stone lets you summon another Dark Magician from your deck, but he's still weaker than my Wingweaver."

"I'm not done." Akumu played another card. "Now I play Dark Magic Curtain! By paying half of my lifepoints, I can summon a third Dark Magician!"

Tea rolled her eyes as her opponent's lifepoints dropped to 650 and a third mighty spell caster was summoned. "Again, he's STILL weaker than my Wingweaver. Does all this have a point?"

"Yes you stupid bitch!" Akumu shrieked with laughter. "You were right to try and destroy my Mystic Caller! He will be the instrument of your destruction!"

"What?" Tea's gaze fixed on the small mage off to the side. The fire before him turned a strange blue colour. Tiny sparks of electricity were flickering in the smoke and billowing up to the ceiling. The smoke gathered into a thick smoggy cloud and the Mystic Caller stood up, thrusting his arms to the side. The firelight gleamed off his mask.

Tea changed her glare back to Akumu. "Okay, spill. What does your monster do?"

"It's quite simple really. Ever since he arrived on the field, Mystic Caller has been gathering magical energy." Akumu smirked gleefully as her monster began to wave its arms slowly in strange and arcane motions. "Only now after five turns have passed has he gathered enough to fulfill his purpose!"

Tea's glare turned slightly worried as the monster began to glow blue. "And what is its purpose?" she asked.

Akumu cackled evilly. "I can sacrifice him to summon a creature of ultimate power! She's so strong that she makes even Kaiba's Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon look pathetic and she's one of the rarest cards in the world!" The former slave threw he arms out to the side. "Now my monster, come out and show your power!"

Mystic Caller exploded in a flash of energy, magical sparks being hurled across the arena. One of them sparked against Tea's cheek and she jerked back, surprised to feel actual pain. Out in the audience, Yami shivered. He remembered this monster from the Shadow wars of ancient Egypt. She had served no side, instead using her immense power as she saw fit. Even the magic of the Millennium Items were barely able to contain her. "Be careful Tea" he whispered.

When the magical sparks died out, something stirred within the cloud of black smoke. Akumu closed her eyes in ecstasy. A smile spread across her face. At last, she could take her revenge on that pharaoh by crushing his girlfriend. And her monster could make her vengeance especially potent.

Akumu opened her eyes slowly, the smile fixed in place. "I summon Tasya, Mother of Magic."

Slowly the mystical smoke faded away. The being revealed to all did not appear threatening or powerful at all. She was a woman, barely taller than Akumu herself. Hair the colour of ripe wheat flowed down her back, framing a smooth and unblemished face. She wore a simple dress of pale green cloth, and she rested lightly upon bare feet. Her arms hung motionlessly at her sides. But the most curious feature about this strange being was her eyes. They were closed and showed no signs of opening, yet she seemed to know where everyone was without looking.

This being was Tasya, Mother of Magic.

Up on the balcony there were hisses and gasps of surprise from some of the duellists. Even Pegasus sat up straight and stared keenly at the monster.

Akki frowned and turned to Yugi. The young man was had frozen and his eyes were bugging out. She waved a hand in front of his face slowly and he blinked, snapping from his stupor. "Yugi? What's wrong?"

"That card has an evil reputation." Yugi shivered slightly, as though from a sudden icy breeze. "I've heard about it before. It's a legend among collectors. At least once a month someone stops by my grandfather's game shop looking for it. It was actually banned from the first World Championships. But I never really believed it existed."

"Really?" Akki tried to pay attention but her gaze kept drifting to her sister's prized monster. There was something almost hypnotic about the way it looked. "Why? It's just a card."

"Well, from what I've heard that card causes trouble. Someone is always hurt whenever it's played in a duel." Yugi glanced quickly at Akki. "A hologram shouldn't be able to hurt you, right? Well, in every instance the victims swore that the card actually attacked them. Like it was real." He paused to let that sink in. "Some people say that Tasya is really alive."

Akki rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Oh really! It's just a game, and they're just cards!"

Yugi didn't answer. He gripped the balcony railing so hard that his knuckles were turning white and waited for Akumu to make her move. Tea was in danger, whether she knew it or not.

In the duelling ring Tea eyed the monster with instant dislike. It gave her a bad feeling; she could still feel the spark against her cheek. "So Akumu" she said disdainfully, "Are you going to attack me with your big scary monster now? She doesn't look so bad. Certainly not as powerful as my Wingweaver."

"Looks can be deceiving. Not only is Tasya more than powerful enough to run you into the ground, she's also the one card that I might actually see as having a heart and soul. Allow me to explain." Akumu ticked off points on her fingers. "Number one. Tasya has 2000 attack and defence points naturally. But she also gains another 500 points for every spellcaster on the field, including herself." Akumu smiled sweetly. "Can you do the math?"

Tea's eyes shot wide open. "That thing has a 5500 attack and defence! That's why you didn't attack my Maha Vailo or my Fire Princess. You wanted a stronger monster!"

"Bingo! And that's not all. Tasya's second special ability is quite simple. She cannot be affected my magic cards. It makes sense if you think about it. She's the mother of all magic. It came from her and she still controls it, even after thousands of years." Akumu's smile widened. "So you can forget about using those facedown cards to stop Tasya's attack. Speaking of which…" The smile vanished like the eye of a storm. "Tasya I command you to destroy her Wingweaver right now and win me this duel! Destroy her with Magical Spirit!"

Still without opening her eyes Tasya (5500/5500) raised one hand and slowly pointed it directly at the Wingweaver. There was perfect silence for about two seconds as the entire room held its breath. And then without warning, the monster launched her attack. A massive beam of swirling rainbow coloured energy blasted from her hand and streaked toward Wingweaver. The hapless fairy barely had time for her eyes to widen before the shot hit her, and Tea barely had time to activate her defensive trap.

"Wobaku!"

The familiar sages defended Wingweaver against the attack. The fairy sighed in relief and gave Tea a grateful look. Tea nodded in return and glared venomously at Akumu. "Is that all you've got?"

"Not even close!" Akumu waved her hand dismissively. "Take your turn so I can get down to finishing you off."

"Gladly!" Tea drew a card. "I'll start by switching Wingweaver into defence mode." She waited while fairy knelt down and curled her wings around her body. "Then I will play Card Destruction to change my dueling options." Both players discarded and redrew their hands. Tea eyed her new hand, chewing her lower lip thoughtfully. "Lastly I'll play Banisher of the Light (100/2000) in defence mode and another card facedown. That will end my turn." Her smirk returned. "You'll have to work hard to get to my lifepoints now."

"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you? I draw." Akumu drew. "Alright then smart aleck, it's time to show of Tasya's third special ability."

Tea's eyes widened. "Another one!"

"Yep! Isn't she great?" Akumu selected one card in her hand and played it facedown. "I play Smashing Ground! It automatically destroys the monster on your side of the field with the highest attack points. So if you can guess which one THAT is…"

"Not my Wingweaver!" Tea watched in horror as the ground around her fairy collapsed, dragging it down to destruction. But she had much more immediate concerns. Tasya had opened her eyes.

There were no pupils, nor were there any whites. There was only flickering rainbow-coloured energy, the source of the devastating attack she had launched earlier. Now those eyes locked onto Banisher of the Light. The coloured energy intensified and a hum filled the air. The hum became a roar and a blast of light blinded everyone in the room. There was a cry of pain from Tea's end of the arena that was quickly drowned out by the sounds of destruction.

Tea didn't understand what happened next. Being close to the action, she watched her Banisher of the Light engulfed in magical energy. The flaming debris from her monster swept back, and she caught herself engulfed in a small fireball. Luckily the debris dispersed quickly but Tea was badly shaken. 'That was no hologram' she thought, 'I actually felt that! That attack was real!'

"You look badly shaken up. Weren't you expecting Tasya's other special power?" Akumu gloated at her foe with much relish. "Whenever I play a magic card, Tasya can blow away one of your monsters. But that's not all! Did you notice anything different about that attack? Didn't it seem kind of…deadly for a hologram?"

"Deadly my ass!" Tea growled. "That attack was real!" She was singed, but not badly hurt. She had been lucky none of the flaming debris got into her eyes or throat. "What did you do? How come that actually hurt!"

Akumu smiled. "I knew you'd ask that. Do you remember during our first duel when I said that they were just cards with no life of their own? Well, I wasn't being entirely truthful. You see, Tasya here was the greatest of all monsters from the wars 5000 years ago. No other had greater magical power. Even the God cards were wary of her. So she obviously wasn't locked in the Shadowrealm willingly or easily. When our gracious host", she waved at Pegasus, "Recreated her in card form her spirit was released from the shadows and put in the card. She's VERY happy to be free."

"How do you know all that!"

Akumu's smile grew even wider. "Because she told me. And now, unless I'm mistaken, you are helpless. You have only two monsters left on the field. My Dark Magicians can fry them, leaving Tasya free to attack you directly." Now the smile turned wicked and hateful. "And what do you think will happen then! Finally, I can get my revenge on Yami and there's nothing either of you can do about it! Face it Tea! You are dead!"

_IIIIIII_

Magicman: Bleh. I've been brutally uninspired for a while. It's hard coming up with cool duelling moves.

Smokegirl: Don't forget to blame exams.

Magicman: BLEH!


	17. Final play

_**Tea's Time to Shine**_

Magicman: 'Once more unto the breach my friends!'

Smokegirl: You are NOT Will Shakespeare!

Magicman: Shakespeare's got nothing on me.

Smokegirl: Grrr! Ah well. We bring the current duel to a conclusion this chapter. And then we get my featured duel with Mai! So much mayhem and destruction just waiting to be let loose… I can just picture it, and it's beautiful. (Sigh)

Magicman: Oookay then. I can only hope that this chapter brings the adulation that last chapter brought.

Smokegirl: Tea looks screwed, doesn't she?

Magicman: Oh I don't know. I still have a few gimmicks left to scheme.

_IIIIIII_

Tea eyed her cackling opponent with a frown. "So are you going to finish your turn or will you keep attacking?"

"Oh, I'll definitely attack. First off, Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700) attack her Maha Vailo (1550/1400) with Dark Blaze attack!"

The bouncy spellcaster jumped into the air and pulled a fancy flip/twist combination, finally bringing her glowing staff down on the Vailo's head. He exploded and Dark Magician Girl jumped back to her space."

"Next" Akumu continued, "Dark Magician number one, destroy Fire Princess! Dark Magic Attack!"

Fire Princess didn't stand a chance. The stronger mage blasted her to atoms. Tea winced; all four of her monsters had just been destroyed, and there had been nothing she could do to protect them. And now she was facing down the strongest monster she'd ever seen.

"Oh yes" Akumu said, grinning. "Payback is so sweet. Tasya, finish her off now! Magical Spirit!"

The mother of all magic raised a hand and pointed it at Tea. The ensuing beam of energy streaked toward its target but was intercepted by a green energy field. Unconcerned, Tasya finished her attack and resumed her stance of total obliviousness. Her mistress Akumu on the other hand was noticeably annoyed.

"What was that? Why aren't you dead yet?"

Tea lifted her trap with two fingers. "It's called Draining Shield" she told Akumu. "It negates your attack and adds your monster's attack points to my lifepoints total. And now I'll activate my other trap card, Numinous Healer!" Tea waved, revealing her other card. An angel in a nurse uniform appeared. She spread her hands and showered Tea with glowing dust. Tea nodded her thanks to the card and grinned at Akumu. "In case you don't know math, this brings my lifepoints all the way up to 7050! I guess you can't destroy me yet!"

Akumu scowled. "Maybe not, but I can still hurt you! Dark Magicians two and three, attack her directly! Double Dark Magic attack!"

Both mages lifted there staves and fired right at Tea. She hissed in frustration at the attack, unable to do anything about it. Her lifepoints dropped back down to 2050; better than what she started off with, but it wouldn't stand a chance against Akumu.

The reincarnated slave smiled. "Enjoy yourself; you've earned one more turn, not that it'll help you. You have more lifepoints but I have Tasya on my side. If I were you, I'd just surrender now. After all, what's a tournament compared to staying alive?"

Tea looked up at the audience for a moment and saw Yami and Yugi's worried faces. Then she turned back to Akumu and smiled. "You wish."

The smile on Akumu's face vaporised. "Fine!" she screamed. "I try to give you a chance and you throw it back in my face! I'll show you not to take me so lightly!"

"Easy Killer. Your turn is over now." Tea drew and beamed. "And I drew exactly what I needed. You may have power in your deck but I have faith in mine. Time to eat it! I play Amazoness Swordswoman (1500/1600) in attack mode!"

The Amazon howled her defiance at Akumu's vastly more powerful monsters. "I take it you know what she does?" Tea asked. Akumu nodded.

"I've run into her before. I'm not afraid of amazons. In fact, I know just how to deal with her. I play my trap card, Nightmare Chains!" At Akumu's command a pack of rusty chains wrapped around Tea's monster. The amazon struggled but was pulled back relentlessly until she was pinned to a wooden board. The board then moved off to the side of the arena, leaving both fields clear and unobstructed. "My trap takes your swordswoman off of the field. Nice try but I'm not dense." Akumu smirked.

Tea didn't let her smile leave her face, though she was starting to feel very desperate. "I place two cards facedown and end my turn."

"You're pretty confident for someone who's getting pinned down and has no hope!" Akumu drew her card. "I play one card facedown. I guarantee that this will end your meddling for good. And now, I attack you directly with Dark Magician!"

Tea blinked in surprise. She had been expecting an attack from Tasya, not her Dark Magician. "I defend with Sakuretsu Armour, destroying your Dark Magician!"

The suit of armour attached to Dark Magician and self-destructed, drawing cheers from the audience.

"That's it Tea" Yugi shouted. "Just keep her away from you long enough and you'll eventually find a way to take her out! You can do it!" He shut up quickly when Akumu gave him a cold hard look that would have made Seto Kaiba flinch.

"Be quiet you midget" she ordered.

Tea scowled. "The duel is in here."

"Of course. And I knew your facedown cards were supposed to protect you. That's why I attacked with Dark Magician. You had no choice but to use one if you wanted to keep trying. So now I'll force you to waste your other card! Dark Magician Girl, attack her with Dark Blaze!"

"I activate Scapegoats!" The four fuzzy creatures were called by the magic card and lined up on the field with blissful expressions on their faces. Akumu raised an eyebrow.

"You're using a lot of cards I don't remember you having before" she commented. "Been dipping into the side deck, have we? No matter." She pointed. "Attack, my army of spellcasters! Shred those annoying fuzz balls!" Akumu smirked with satisfaction as her monsters destroyed Tea's entire line of defence. "And that ends my turn."

Tea drew. "I play Card of Sanctity. Time for both of us to draw until we each have six cards in our hands. Next I will summon Airknight Parshath (1900/1400)."

Akumu laughed at the fairy knight. "What's he going to do? He's much too weak to hurt me!"

True" Tea agreed. "So I'll activate Creature Swap! Each of us picks one monster to switch over to the opponent's side. I'll choose my Airknight Parshath."

"Then I'll choose a Dark Magician." Akumu scowled as their monsters switched. She knew what was coming.

The spellcaster and the fairy switched position on the field. Tea watched her monster on Akumu's field. 'Thank you' she thought to it, then pointed. "Dark Magician attack Airknight Parshath with Dark Magic attack!" The mage fired a powerful blast. The fairy blocked it with his sword and managed to hold the attack for a couple of seconds before it shattered and he was destroyed. Akumu swore as her lifepoints dropped to 50 and Tea sighed. She hadn't wanted to destroy her own monster but she hadn't seen any choice in the matter. "I play two cards down on the field and end my turn."

"Oh, but I have something of my own to play!" Akumu flipped her facedown trap. "I activate Royal Decree! This trap card negates all other trap cards as long as it's on the field. So your facedown cards just became useless!"

"Assuming of course that they're traps."

Akumu shrugged. "A technicality. And now, you bitch, its payback time for what you pulled last turn. Tasya destroy the Dark Magician! Show Tea why you're the most powerful spellcaster in the world!"

Tasya destroyed Dark Magician with a thought. Tea managed to turn her face away form the debris but the sparks and burning ashes still swept over her body. She would have cried out in surprised pain but the ashes made her cough. They choked her throat for nearly a full minute before she could breathe properly.

Akumu watched this exhibition with a twisted smile on her face the whole time. "Enjoying yourself?" she taunted.

When Tea (LP: 550) regained her breath, she smiled. She was burned but she wasn't done yet, not by a long shot. Akumu scowled.

"Will you stop doing that? It's ticking me off!" Her eyes narrowed. She said the next part in a quiet voice, almost to herself. "It's the exact same way Anzu used to grin."

Tea blinked in surprise and Yami's words last night drifted through her head. 'Could he really be right?' she asked herself. 'I thought he was just confusing me for her.'

Meanwhile, Akumu was frowning slightly, studying Tea. "Come to think of it, you kinda look like Anzu. And Yami loves you. Just like…" Suddenly her clear green eyes shot wide open. "No…it couldn't be! But if Yami and I are both alive then…" The eyes narrowed and darkened, coloured by seething hatred that had survived unabated through millennia. And Tea shuddered to have that hatred directed at her.

But Akumu's voice remained calm. "I don't know why I didn't recognise it from the beginning." She said, her fist clenching the railing so hard her knuckles were turning white. "Now that I think of it, there are so many similarities between you two. The hair, the eyes, the way that you walk; I remember it all. Well, well. Long time no see Anzu." She all but spat the name.

Tea frowned slightly. "You're crazy."

"Only to everyone else. It doesn't matter whether you know it or not, but you ARE Anzu's reincarnation." Akumu shook her head in amusement. "I must have done something right in a previous life."

"Who cares! So what if you, Yami and I had a love triangle five thousand years ago? This is now, the present, year 2005 AD! Meanwhile you're raving on about things I had no idea happened until this week? What the Hell is wrong with you! Get a freaking life!"

Akumu listened with one eyebrow raised. When Tea finished, she asked "Are you done yet? I'd like to finish my turn." She lay one card down on the field. "I could just finish you off now, but if Tasya doesn't kill you then where would the point be? Besides, my Royal Decree trap negates my Nightmare Chains, freeing your swordswoman. But rest assured, on my next turn I will finish you off and settle this grudge once and for all. I guarantee it."

As her amazon hopped over to her, Tea drew and chewed her lower lip worriedly. Akumu laughed. "Play any card you want! Nothing can save you now!"

"I summon Giant Germ (1000/100) in defence mode!"

The large virus materialised on the field and floated there, swollen with poison. Able to deal damage to the enemy's lifepoints, Tea intended it to be a blocker against Akumu's attack. But that wasn't how events turned out.

"I activate Offering to the Doomed!" Akumu played her facedown magic card and mummy bandages flew at Amazon Swordwoman. For the second time she was pinned and unable to move. The bandages wrapped up her body entirely, and though she struggled against them they squeezed until her holographic form shattered. Akumu smiled evilly.

"Does that bring back any memories for you?" she asked Tea. "The pharaoh's family was customarily mummified after death. I wonder if some archaeologist ever dug up yours?"

Tea scowled as her monster was destroyed. "You're sick!"

"And you're finished. Tasya, destroy her Giant Germ!"

The mother of all magic opened her eyes, revealing the depths of power within. Multi-coloured light beamed forth, blinding spectators and destroying the germ. Again Tea was engulfed by flaming ashes, and though she emerged from them fine she was shaking. Her defence line had been destroyed! And she had no cards in her hand that would help.

When she could see again, Tea scowled. "I can't do anything else this turn. You can go."

Akumu took a deep breath and released it slowly. 'I've been waiting for this moment for 5000 years' she thought to herself. 'After all this time the pain of losing my life and love will finally go away. Thank you for making this possible Tasya.' Her gaze shifted from her favourite monster to Yami up in the crowd. 'It's payback time you bastard!'

Returning from her memories she pointed at Tea. "Revenge is mine! Die Anzu!" she shouted. "Kill her Tasya!"

Tasya raised her hand and gathered magical energy in her palm, which she pointed right at Tea.

"I'm not finished yet!" Tea shouted. "I activate my facedown magic card, Spell Textbook!"

Akumu sneered. "That card is useless!"

"I allows me to draw a new card from my deck. I have to discard my entire hand to do it but as long as my new card is a magic card I can play it immediately!" Tea held her breath tightly, praying to the Heart of the cards, her monsters, and anything else that came to mind. Slowly she drew. Her hand was shaking as she lifted it and looked at the picture and description and her eyes widened. "Yes! YES! This is perfect!" Tea grinned joyously. "I drew Mystical Space Typhoon, which I'll use to destroy your Royal Decree!"

Akumu snorted. "Aren't we all just sick to death of last minute heroics? Attack her Tasya!"

Tasya fired her beam of magic at Tea. The bolt gleamed with the promise of death.

Tea's grin spread. "Sorry to disappoint you but you're finished! I activate Magic Arm Shield!"

"Huh?" Akumu was surprised. "What does that card do?"

"It doesn't stop your attack, if that's what you're wondering. It just takes one of your monsters and throws it in the way!" Tea pointed at Akumu's Dark Magician as a shiny golden shield appeared in front of her. A hatch in the front opened up and a set of ratcheted arms extended and seized Akumu's spellcaster and hauled him struggling to Tea's side of the field. It was just in time to receive the deadly attack. Akumu barely had the time to register the shock before the attack struck and the monster exploded.

The shockwave rocked the building. On the balcony Ami and Keiko, who were sitting on the railing were nearly knocked off and only saved themselves by clinging desperately. Yugi was bowled over entirely and even Pegasus was knocked out of his chair. In the arena though the two duellists weathered the blast surprisingly well, and both were on their feet when Akumu's lifepoint meter dropped to zero.

There were a few seconds of silence. And then when comprehension dawned Croquet approached and cleared his throat. "The winner of this duel is Miss Tea Gardner!" This was the cue for a lot of applause from the spectators.

Tea stretched, grimacing at the light burns she'd received when the sound of a fist being brought down on the card monitor grabbed her attention. Akumu was nearly spitting with anger, her green eyes locked on Tea. She stayed like that for what seemed like an hour but was really only a few seconds. Then she grabbed her deck, whirled and walked away, anger radiating through her with every step.

Tea found herself running after her opponent and caught up with her just as she reached the door. She reached for her cloak-clad shoulder. "Akumu, I-" she jumped back to avoid the sudden swing of Akumu's fist.

"Save it Gardner" the girl hissed. "You won. Congratulations. Leave it at that."

Tea regarded her sadly. "I don't want us to part like this. I was hoping-"

"What? That we could be friends? That I could join your little circle of loving losers? Forget it. If you count on anyone but yourself you'll only get hurt. Yami taught me that the hard way." Akumu snorted and turned away again. "Enjoy him Gardner. When he leaves you, you'll know just how I feel." When she started walking away she turned her head for one last shot. "I almost wish I could be there just to see the look on your face. But for now, if I never see you again it'll be too soon!"

"I'm sorry you feel that way" Tea answered softly.

Sighing, Tea returned to the room and climbed the stairs to the balcony. Her thoughts dwelling on what Akumu had said. 'When he leaves you, you'll know how I feel.' She didn't want to but she couldn't help but wonder if Akumu was right.

"Are you okay?"

Tea blinked at the deep voice and looked up. She had reached the edge of the balcony and Yami was standing by her. Her deep violet eyes were filled with concern for her, displaying the compassion that he rarely allowed to surface. Without thinking, Tea threw herself into his arms, burying her face in his chest. The startled spirit just held her instinctively, comforting her.

"Ahem?"

Tea looked up at Yugi, who was watching the two, a miserable expression on his face. She sighed. She had known this time would come eventually but she had been hoping to avoid it.

"I'm sorry Yugi" she said. "I never wanted you to be hurt."

"I know that." The short teenager sighed gustily. "I just hoped that you'd notice me as more than a friend."

"Are you going to be alright?"

He waved slightly. "It's nothing. Just a crush I've had for years. I'll get over it."

Tea let go of Yami and leaned down to hug Yugi comfortingly, patting him on the back. When she drew back she smiled teasingly. "You know, I think both Akki and Ami would be willing to be your new crush."

Yugi sighed gustily again. "Maybe…"

"Hey guys!" Akki yelled. "Hurry up and get over here! The next match is going to start!"

Tea gave Yugi one last hug before going over to watch the match. Yami waited by his lighter side. "I'm sorry" he told him. "I'd wanted to talk to you about all this but…"

"But the time was never right? Same here actually." Yugi smiled slightly. "At least she's happy with you. I guess that's enough for me."

Yami only nodded and the two of them went to watch the next match.

_IIIIIII_

Magicman: Cut! Print it!

Tea: Cripes! How on Earth did I pull that off?

Magicman: Well, the trick is coming up with moves you want to happen and make them both elaborate and ostentatious. For example, I seriously doubt in real life that Akumu would have been able to get three Dark Magicians, Dark Magician Girl, and Tasya all on the field at once. Neither would Tea have been able to get just what she needed from Spell Textbook. I've noticed that real life duels are usually a lot shorter and more direct. But these ones are a lot of fun to write. Sometimes I write myself into corners and have to re do things though.

Joey: You know you just gave away your secret?

Magicman: Meh. Hopefully other can put it to good use.

Smokegirl: Yes! YES! I'm on next! Oh yeah, can you feel it baby? I'm hot tonight!

Magicman&Tea&Joey: What the Hell?

Pegasus: Don't ask. By folks!


	18. Mai vs the Dark Destroyer: hate match

_**Tea's Time to Shine**_

Magicman: Alrighty then, just one more duel and then the quarter finals will be over! Akumu is out of the running but now we have Zev and Mai duking it out!

Joey: Yay! Wet T-shirt contest!

Zev&Mai: WHAT did you say?

Joey: Um…help?

Magicman: Not this time buddy. You're on your own.

Joey: (eyeing the enraged women) Hey Tea? Will you feed my fish once I'm dead?

Tea: Of course I will Joey.

Joey: Then I can die with peace of mind.

Magicman: And that would be my cue to avert everyone's attention to the story in an effort to keep the ratings down.

_IIIIIII_

This was the most anticipated duel of the tournament. It was a grudge match between two girls who hated each other that would decide once and for all which of them was the best.

Yugi really couldn't have cared less. He was too busy slumping against the railing and being depressed. Every now and then he would sigh and turn his head to look over at Tea and Yami.

Once when he did this Ami's green eyes stared back. "Gah!" When he recovered he shook his head ruefully. "I don't think my heart can take too many more jolts today Ami."

Ami tilted her head cutely and slumped against the railing next to him. "What's wrong cubling? Is the demon getting you down?"

Yugi shook his head. "No. Well…yes actually. But not exactly. Sort of. You know?"

Ami blinked then grinned. "Oh I know!" she said cheerfully. "Cubling has had his heart ripped out of his chest and stomped into paste by the steel-toed boots of love!" She grabbed his surprised face and hugged him fiercely. "Poor, poor cubling. Such a poor cubling."

"He certainly is" Akki said, wandering over. "Who are we talking about?"

Yugi's face was crushed even harder and he felt his ability to breathe cutting off. Ami ignored his gesticulations and glared at Akki. "My cubling!" she hissed. "Mine! You can't have him! Ami found him first!"

Akki rolled her eyes. "I think your 'cubling' is running out of air."

Yugi finally managed to break away from the grip of steel and gasped for breath. Weakened, he slumped against the railing again, indifferent to Ami's gentle crooning and stroking of his hair. Akki slumped next to him.

"So, are you feeling alright?" she asked.

Yugi sighed gustily for perhaps the eighth time since his world had collapsed. "I don't want to talk about it" he muttered.

"Are you sure? Sometimes soul crushing agony is best shared." She raised an eyebrow. "Especially when someone close was the one who did the crushing."

The diminutive one snorted. "I don't know how you figured it out but-"

"It was pretty obvious that you had a crush on Tea."

Yugi glared at Akki. "But it's really none of your business."

"Of course it isn't. Let's get some better seats Ami. The duel is about to start."

Ami stroked Yugi's hair one last time before straightening up and following Akki away, leaving Yugi alone with his thoughts. Before the girls were out of range however he stepped back with a black scowl on his face. "Damn it!" he swore and gave the marble railing a savage kick.

Akki hid a smile and turned back to Yugi. "Feel any better?"

"No! Now I'm angry and my foot hurts!" He took a step toward the girls and winced, the pain evident on his face. His purple eyes still burned angrily. "Why?" he demanded. "Why did she pick him? I was there first! I've been her friend since grade school! I've always cared for her! Always! And if I hadn't put together that puzzle then it would be me standing by her!" His violet glare turned to encompass Yami, the anger intensifying. "I can be everything he is. I could give her everything he can. He wouldn't even exist if it weren't for me!"

Akki nodded her head. "Very true. So what?"

"So Tea should like me! She shouldn't be with Yami!"

"Why not?"

"Because I love her!"

Ami shook her head sorrowfully. "Poor cubling. His mind is turned to mush by the most powerful emotion. So much love and he just doesn't understand it."

"What are you talking about!" Yugi nearly shouted.

Akki let her wry smile finally appear. "I think I get it Yugi. Ami's asking if you love her enough to let her go."

Yugi opened his mouth to yell some more but suddenly closed it. Then in a quiet voice he asked "Why didn't she pick me?"

"I really don't know Yugi." Akki shrugged. "But if you really love Tea enough to want her to be happy then what can you do? She's happy with Yami. And you should be happy for her."

Yugi didn't answer but then he didn't have to. He was happy for Tea in a way, though that happiness was clouded with his own suffering. But still… "It hurts…"

"I know" Akki agreed, patting him on the back. "Love often hurts."

"Cheer up!" Ami jumped on Yugi's back. "It's not over until Exodia obliterates! Cubling will find someone."

"Maybe you're right" Yugi answered, wincing at something. "But I meant my foot. I think I broke a toe."

_IIIIIII_

"This match between Mai Valentine and Zev Crawford signals the end of the quarter finals" Croquet announced. "If both duellists are in position, you may begin."

Up on the balcony, oblivious to Yugi's suffering, Tea watched the upcoming duel with much curiosity. This duel was approached with a tension that none of the others had even approached. Even Nesbitt was watching the match, her calculating eyes watching for weaknesses. Up in his custom balcony seat, Pegasus waved a custom made flag that read 'Go Zev' on it.

Zev grinned at the attention. This was how she wanted it to be. She wanted this duel to be public. She wanted Mai's humiliation to be complete. It was the least she could do to pay her back.

"Hey psycho!" Mai shouted, drawing Zev's attention. "The duel is over here! Quit dreaming and draw your hand."

"My dreams would terrify you" Zev said flatly. "It ends here. I always said I'd beat you one day."

Mai watched her foe, her eyes hard. "If that's how you want it. Do your best girl."

Zev snarled hatefully and drew her hand. "I'll go first, and I'll summon Winged Minion (700/700) in attack mode! Then I'll play one card facedown and end my turn."

The small blue imp floated just above the ground as the square behind it began to glow. Mai frowned.

"I'll summon Harpy Lady (1300/1400) in defence mode. That's it for me."

Zev shook her head in bewilderment at the harpy. "You still use those weakling birdbrains?"

"She's stronger than your little twerp!"

"Why so she is. I guess I'll just have to play another card facedown and end my turn."

Now two of Zev's trap cards lay on the field, protecting her underpowered monster. For the life of her, Mai could not figure this out. Zev never played in such a restrained style. She was cunning but very aggressive. Given the choice, she would always attack. But now she was just waiting. Was she bluffing? Mai drew.

"I'll switch Harpy Lady into attack mode. Now I'll have her attack your Winged Minion!"

The Harpy screeched and leapt into the air for a skydiving attack. The Winged Minion wouldn't stand a chance.

'This is so perfect' Zev gloated mentally. "I activate Mirror Gate!"

A tall door made of reflective glass appeared in the center of the field. Both the Winged Minion and the Harpy lady were shown in the surface. On the field, both monsters were suddenly gripped in a magical wind and sucked inside.

"You DO know what Mirror Gate does, don't you?" Zev asked condescendingly and put on a fake look of astonishment when Mai scowled at her. "You don't? Truly? And you still call yourself a champion duellist? Good grief! Let me enlighten you then. Mirror Gate activates when you attack one of my monsters. It switches their positions on the field. Basically, your Winged Minion is now attacking my Harpy lady." Zev pointed at the small fiend. "Destroy that pest with Sky Slash!"

Winged Minion flew forward, trying to bite the harpy, but she leapt up into the air. Shrieking, she flew down. There was a flash of claws and Winged Minion shattered. Mai's lifepoints dropped to 1400. The blonde scowled.

'She's not playing her normal style deliberately to throw me off. But I've got her now. She'll try to hit me while I'm down, and then I'll activate these babies.' Her thought complete, the blonde selected two cards in her hand. "I'll play these two cards facedown now. Come and get me!"

"With pleasure." Zev drew and her eyes widened. Then she grinned and began to laugh wildly. "This is just too funny! Can you even survive this one turn Mai-mai?"

Mai scowled. "Just play the card already."

"As you wish! I activate my Right Arm Offering!" Zev activated the card and the field was tinged red for a moment. "Now I can discard my entire hand and bring one magic card in to replace it. My magic card will be Heavy Storm, which I will now play!"

A mighty wind blew up, causing destruction on the field. None of the facedown cards survived and were destroyed. But when the wind stopped, Mai's field was surprisingly crowded. Four small fuzzy creatures flanked one large snake man that hissed menacingly. Zev scowled. "Hey, what gives?"

Mai smirked. "Oh, don't tell me that a great duellist like you has never heard of Scapegoats and Embodiment of Apophis (1600/1800)? You haven't? Really?"

"Shut up!" Zev snapped. "So now you get a bunch of little fuzz balls and a decent monster to guard your lifepoints. I have a trick too. My destroyed facedown card was a Statue of the Wicked. When destroyed, it creates a wicked token (1000/1000), and I'll play it in defence mode. Then I'll switch my Harpy Lady (1300/1400) into defence mode. I guess we're both at a standoff." She crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow. "What now Mai-mai? You've always been good at standoffs."

Mai nodded. "Better than you if I recall. I'll draw" she glanced at the card, "Then I'll attack your Harpy Lady with Embodiment of Apophis. Attack it my pet!"

The snake man hissed and lashed out with its sword, catching Harpy Lady in the neck. The female monster's head flew across field and the body collapsed.

"Finally I'll play one card facedown." Mai placed down the card and eyed Zev's field skeptically. "You seem to be outnumbered."

Zev rolled her eyes as she drew. "It's not quantity that counts. It's quality. You taught me that yourself. I'll pass this turn."

"Cocky little witch." Mai drew. "I'll play one more card facedown then I'll attack with Embodiment of Apophis!" Her vicious monster crushed Zev's low class fiend. "There" she said. "How's that for quality?"

Up in the stands, the audience watched Zev snort. Tea rolled her eyes.

"Who is she kidding?" she muttered. "She's outnumbered and outgunned with one card in her hand. She doesn't have anything"

"Zev Crawford has everything she needs to turn this duel around." The cool emotionless voice made Tea jump a bit. She turned and saw Julia standing about five feet away, her hand resting lightly on the railing. The machine duellist's light blue eyes were fixed on the duel but she had clearly heard Tea's remark. "She has an arsenal of deadly fiend monsters and she knows exactly how to use them. She has many rare and powerful magic cards and traps. She has a great deal of experience in duelling and was taught by her uncle. Most important of all she hates Mai Valentine and wants to see her defeated at her favourite game. She will stop at nothing."

This was the longest speech Tea had heard from Julia's mouth and she had said it all without tone or inflection. Tea was taken aback slightly but she recovered. "So you think that Crawford will win?"

"I don't think" Julia said blandly. "I know. I have calculated all the possibilities and Zev Crawford can counter them all. Mai Valentine cannot."

Tea bristled. "That's my friend you're talking about!"

"I know."

"This game is more about possibilities, you know" Tea snapped.

Julia turned her head and looked Tea directly in the eyes. "I know" was all she said.

And the strangest part was that Tea believed her. She returned her attention to the duel, suddenly fearing for Mai's chances.

Back in the duel, Zev had drawn. "Now I'll just even the odds. I activate my Pitch Black Warwolf (1600/600)! Just try and activate your cheap little trap cards while he's gnawing on your leg!"

The man-wolf howled in defiance at Mai, waving its blood-tipped saber threateningly. Mai scowled.'Rats. I can't summon another, stronger monster with all of these tokens on the field and I can destroy her wolf with my traps when we battle.'

Mai's thoughts were cut off when Zev continued her turn. "And finally, I will play one card facedown. That's it for me."

"I'll bet." Mai drew. "I'll play one card facedown and end my turn."

"And that's all you can do, isn't? You just don't like taking risks. That's your whole problem. Last turn you could have attacked my Warwolf and destroyed it and your own Embodiment of Apophis. You could have cleared up a space in your line for an even stronger monster and killed off mine all in one turn." Zev grinned. "Assuming of course that I'd have let you. We'll never know now, will we? My turn."

Mai snorted. "Stop with the taunting! It's getting on my nerves!"

"Just relax Mai-mai. It'll all be over before you know it." Zev drew and her grin turned evil. "Oh yeah baby! That's what I'm talking about! I summon the queen of demons! My Dark Necrofear (2200/2800)!"

The mighty Necrofear rose up from the depths, cradling its broken doll in surprisingly gentle hands. She looked up and hissed viciously at Mai.

"She's been my favourite for some time now" Zev told her foe. She watched her monster with an interesting light in her eyes. "Interesting, isn't it? She's a fiend. She's feared throughout the game of Duel Monsters for her dark powers. And yet she holds that doll so carefully that it's impossible to think that she doesn't have a gentle side. Or did." Zev's gaze turned cold. "Does she remind you of anything?"

Mai scowled angrily. "Don't go there!"

"Stuff it. You owe me and I intend to collect. Your days at the top are gone for good! Dark Necrofear attack! Destroy her Embodiment of Apophis with Hatred from Beyond!"

Zev laughed wildly as her monster powered up its attack. "And you can't even activate any facedown cards! My Warwolf is locking down your traps! You're helpless before me!"

Dark Necrofear opened her mouth and screamed her hatred at Mai's monster. The sound waves echoed through the stadium, causing some girls to clutch their ears in pain. The snake monster howled in helpless agony before shattering. The Necrofear glared at its now empty spot for a moment before returning to cuddling her broken doll. Mai's lifepoints dropped to 800 before Zev waved a hand, signalling the end of her turn.

Mai drew a card and thought hard about her options. 'I have less than half of her lifepoints and I can't use traps to block her attacks. My only choice now is to go on the offensive. Fortunately…' She played a card. "I summon Unfriendly Amazon (2000/1000) in attack mode."

The tall muscular woman wielded her large sword expertly. She let out a fearsome war cry. Zev was unimpressed.

"You're after my wolf obviously. Go ahead then, if you think it will help."

Mai grinned. "Idiot. Your wolf only negates traps I activate during the battle phase. I could activate one right now and you could do squat against me. I'll play my facedown Ring of Destruction. And I'm targeting your Dark Necrofear!"

A ring studded with dynamite locked itself around Zev's monster. It hissed angrily but refused to struggle pointlessly like so many weaker monsters. The dynamite ignited and a moment later there was a massive explosion.

"Activate facedown card!"

The shout came from both sides of the arena. Zev played Divine Wind, hurling the damage back at Mai and doubling its power. Mai activated Ring of Defence, to block all the excess damage that her Ring would have done to her lifepoints. The powerful traps cracked off of each other and all went silent as the duel continued.

"And finally I order my Unfriendly Amazon to attack your rabid dog, evening the life scores up a bit."

The Amazon cut down the wolf, dropping Zev's points by 400. Mai smirked. "Not so tough now without your freaky little friends."

For some reason Zev found this hilarious. "I don't believe it!" she managed, in between breaths. "You're actually lecturing me on friends? Weren't you the one who told me that friends are there for lending money and nothing else? Didn't you always use to say to look out for number one?"

Mai's smirk fell. "I was screwed up back then" she muttered.

"NO FUCKING KIDDING!" Zev screamed, all traces of humour ripped from her voice. "You have no idea what that kind of betrayal feels like, do you?"

"You'd be surprised" Mai muttered again.

With a clear sign of effort Zev calmed down. "Well then you won't be surprised if I make you pay for it. Do you end your turn?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Good. Now my Dark Necrofear's special ability kicks in. When she's destroyed as a result of battle or of a card's effect she can seize one of your monsters and turn him to my side." Zev considered and pointed. "I target one of your scapegoats. Now it belongs to me." The little blue animal was overcome by shadow that turned its eyes all spirally. It hopped merrily over to Zev's field.

Mai blinked. "You wanted my scapegoat?"

"Well duh! I don't want that damned Amazon's special effect screwing me over. I've got a much bigger idea for it." Zev grinned again. Or at least she showed her teeth.

Mai looked around at Zev's decidedly empty field and pointedly raised an eyebrow. The grey-haired girl with the very bad temper just shrugged at the look. "I said I'd destroy you. I never said it would be easy. But I will do it Mai. I'm going to watch you go down like a loser in front of everyone here, and I'm going to enjoy it."

On the balcony Tea heard every word that was said. She didn't know why but Zev's calm threat was more frightening to her than the violent screams were. And she knew that things were about to get worse.

_IIIIIII_

Magicman: I beg all of your forgiveness my beloved readers… I've had six essays to do in these last two months. Six! Big, eight pagers! Worth up to 40 of my final mark!

Tea: Poor guy.

Pegasus: It's a good thing he's already crazed. Otherwise I might fear for his sanity.

Joey: (horrible mutilated from the savage beating earlier) Why don't…you…let me die…?

Magicman: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my fellow angels, and especially to the seraph who guides my actions by poking me when I begin to flag. I promise, I'll try and get things moving faster. I only have two more essays to go after all, but I expect this last one to be a real bugger… Anyway, next time the match wraps up between Zevvie and Mai-mai. If I figure it out, we just might hear about the truth behind the so called soul-frying hatred between them.

Pegasus: He already has it figured out actually. He just doesn't know how long the next half of the duel will be.

Magicman: Basically. So I hope you enjoyed this. Until next time!


	19. Dark Fiend Smackdown

_**Tea's Time to Shine**_

Magicman: Updated! Has anyone called the medical team to deal with Joey?

Joey: (twitch, twitch)

Magicman: I guess not.

Smokegirl: He deserved it!

Mai: Wet t-shirts my ass!

Magicman: Oookay then. Take it out on each other girls, no violence in the writing box.

Pegasus: Let's get the action underway!

_IIIIIII_

The lights in the hall shone, the air conditioners continued to hum, and Zev continued to glare coldly at Mai.

'Mai has three scapegoats, one Unfriendly Amazon (2000/1000), one facedown card and four cards in her hand, while I have just one scapegoat' she thought. 'She must think she has an unbeatable advantage. That will make her eager to attack. I have to keep my scapegoat alive then if I want to hit her as hard as I'd like.' A smile spread across Zev's face. Mai was watching her cockily; those pretty violet eyes of hers alight with self-righteous anger. She had no idea what was coming.

"I draw." Zev drew and her grey eyes widened at the card. "Lucky!" she whispered. "I play Pot of Greed, and unless you've got something like Magic Jammer waiting I play it and draw another two cards."

Mai gestured as if to say 'get on with it.'

Zev smirked and drew her new cards. Once again her eyes widened and she grinned. "Double lucky! My deck likes me today! I summon out Chthonian Soldier (1200/1400) in attack mode!"

The small yet brutish warrior waved his sword threateningly at Mai, who scowled. The warrior was one of Zev's favourite monsters and it perfectly demonstrated her brutally aggressive attitude. Mai had seen her beat several people with a kamikaze attack, which was doubtlessly what her grey-haired nemesis had planned.

"Chthonian Soldier, attack Mai's Unfriendly Amazon!"

Mai rolled her eyes. Yep. Predictable. "I activate my Negate Attack Trap card!"

The Chthonian soldier jumped into the air and brought down its sword but a wall of swirling black energy sprung up and absorbed the attack. The soldier bounced back from Mai's monster with a scowl on its face and the energy disappeared, leaving the blonde with her lifepoints intact.

Mai smirked. "Nice try but you can't beat me that easily."

Zev smirked back. "I didn't think so. So I'll just have to play this card facedown. Then I think I'll just end my turn.

Mai's reaction was to change her smirk into an annoyed scowl.

"Do you take me for an idiot?" Mai snapped. For the first time in this duel she actually seemed angry. "I've seen you make this move a hundred times! You'll have to do a lot better than that if you want to beat me!"

"I was only testing you Mai-mai. I wanted to make sure you've still got it. I've got twice your lifepoints. You can't afford to take me lightly." Zev nodded her head slightly and crossed her arms. "I want you to fight back, after all. But enough talk. It's your move. Come and get me!"

Mai drew her card angrily. 'If this little bitch thinks I'm going to fall for this, she has another thing coming! Her facedown card is Attack Guidance Armour. She wants me to attack with something and then she'll redirect it, probably to her Chthonian Soldier. But if I can summon a monster with low enough attack points I can finish her in my next turn.' She quickly scanned her hand for options before making her move. I summon Amazoness Blowpiper (800/1500) in defence mode!"

The short amazon knelt next to her larger, brawnier cousin, with her blowpipe raised defensively. Then the Unfriendly Amazon turned and cut down one of Mai's two Scapegoats. "Then I'll sacrifice a Scapegoat to keep my Amazon on the field" the blonde clarified. Then she crossed her arms. "That's it for me."

"Yes it is" Zev agreed then drew a card. "I pass this turn. Your move again."

"Oh goody" Mai said sarcastically. "You know how much I love stalling. I sacrifice another Scapegoat and then I summon Amazoness Tiger! (1100/1500)!"

The tiger appeared, snarling viciously. Two chains sprouted from its collar and Mai's two Amazons caught the ends of them. With its mistresses on the field it grew even larger until it dwarfed Zev's Chthonian Soldier.

"I've almost missed that card" Zev said, eyeing the tiger almost fondly. When she waved the cat snarled at her. "Nasty temper though. Now its attack points are up to 1900 because you have two Amazons on the field, right?"

"Right. That's it exactly. Also my Amazoness Blowpiper's effect activates!"

The shorter amazon raised her blowpipe and fired a dart. It pierced Cthonian Soldier in the neck and he seemed to sag slightly.

"Each of my standby phases I get to weaken one of your monsters by 500 attack points for the turn." Mai grinned. "She's perfect for when I'm launching an attack."

"So are you going to attack?"

"Not yet." Mai smirked. "I know you, and I know what your facedown card is. My monsters have enough attack points to destroy your lousy soldier but they also have enough points to finish me off."

"Congratulations" Zev said sarcastically. "You've figured out my evil plan." She lifted her facedown card and flashed it mockingly at Mai. "It's an Attack Guidance Armour, just like you thought. Are you done yet?"

Mai considered. Attacking Zev right now wouldn't really do anything. "Alright" she nodded, "You can go."

"Good." Zev drew and grinned again. "I'm top decking like a pro today! I play Swords of Revealing Light!"

The row of glowing swords fell from the sky and separated the two teams of monsters. Zev grinned at the barrier and then gestured, as if to say 'Well go ahead then.'

Mai rolled her eyes. It was always theatrics with Zev. She drew. "Alright hun, I can play the waiting game too. First off I'll sacrifice my Unfriendly Amazon so I don't have to pay her cost anymore."

Mai's Amazon leapt off the field and her tiger shrank accordingly. The blonde nodded in satisfaction. "Then my Amazoness Blowpiper's effect activates. I choose your Chthonian Soldier to weaken." The dart struck, but Mai shrugged. "I can't attack, but the effect still activates. Then I'll switch my tiger into defence mode and play one card facedown. Back to you."

Zev drew, and from her expression she was getting ready for a long duel.

Or at least that was Tea's impression from up in the balcony.

The brunette frowned at Zev's last play. The last time she had watched Zev play Swords of Revealing Light it had been to show off against Yami. It hadn't served any real purpose then but now Zev was down massively on card advantage and needed to stall. She was seemingly helpless, forced back onto a defence. Tea couldn't help but smile at that. "It's nice to see the so called 'Dark Destroyer' get smashed up for once" she said to herself.

"I thought you'd like that."

Tea jumped in surprise, then turned and glared at Nesbitt again. Julia was eyeing her in that creepy, emotionless way she had. "Though you're going to be disappointed when this ends" she added.

Tea glared some more but the machine duellist turned back to observing the duel. After a moment, so did Tea. There was just no use is arguing with someone who was so totally convinced they were right.

Back on the field, the first turn of the Swords passed by without incident. They both drew and left things as they were. On Zev's next turn she made her move.

Zev's grey eyes lit up when she drew the exact magic card she wanted. "Perfect" she smirked then slapped it down face up. "I cast Augury of Blood and Bone."

The magic card revealed a stone bowl. It slowly spun and shook at random. Brief glimpses of the holograms inside it showed that it was indeed filled with blood and knucklebones. It had no immediate effect but its presence cast a shadow over the field. Mai didn't like the looks of it. "And what does your fancy soup bowl do?" she demanded.

"I'm glad you asked. As you can clearly see, you have more card advantage than I do. Every turn I can pay 200 lifepoints to draw an extra card." She shrugged then. "As you can imagine though, that can get expensive. So it's secondary effect is that I can sacrifice it at any time and pay 500 lifepoints to draw three cards. So then, let's get this show on the road!"

Zev let out a short bark of laughter and raised her arm. She pulled back her sleeve from her forearm and said, "I pay my lifepoints and sacrifice my magic card so I can draw three cards and replenish my hand!"

A holographic knife appeared next to her arm and with one quick motion slashed it open. Since it was only a hologram it didn't hurt but it still looked shockingly realistic. When the auguring bowl quivered and without further warning suddenly exploded, raining blood and bits of bone all over the spectators, there were more than a few shrieks of shock and disgust. Zev smirked, pleased that she'd made a scene and paid her lifepoints to draw her three cards.

Mai glared at her opponent. "You are just sick, you know that?"

"Hey. Card advantage is card advantage. Just because everyone else has a weak stomach is no reason why I shouldn't make a good play. Speaking of which, I'll switch that Scapegoat that I stole from you a while ago into attack mode."

The audience went from 'Gross!' to 'What!' in less than a second. The only three who didn't look surprised were Zev, who was grinning smugly, Mai, who scowled in recognition at the move, and Julia who simply smiled a little at being proven right once again.

Zev waited a moment, letting the suspense hang in the air, then made her next move. "I cast Creature Swap. And I think I'll let you have your Scapegoat back!"

Mai's purple eyes widened in sudden surprise. But she managed to recover herself quickly, though she scowled angrily. "Fine. Take my Amazoness Tiger."

"I'll do that. And then I'll take the win by attacking Scapegoat with Chthonian Soldier!" Zev pointed at the small, helpless little goat thing and screamed "Attack!"

The armoured soldier lifted his curved blade and leapt forward with a bloodthirsty yell. The Scapegoat bleated helplessly before it.

Then the soldier crashed into a wall of crystal. It faltered in its attacked, but gritted its teeth and swung its sword heavily. The blade connected, chopping the scapegoat in half. But Mai's lifepoints dropped only to 200, not to 0.

Mai let out the breath she'd been holding. "I activate my trap Mirror Wall! It cuts your monster's attack points in half, and as long as it stays on the field your monster's attack will stay cut in half!"

"Nice going Mai!"

The blonde looked up and saw Tea waving to her from the balcony. Smiling, she waved back. But a sarcastic snort from the other side of the arena drew her attention back. Mai grinned at her. "It's so nice to have friends, isn't it?"

"Please! Don't make me quote you again." Zev rolled her eyes. "Go on then. Take your turn. It's not going to help you out any. I've got you right where I want you. And my best cards are still in my deck, just waiting to be drawn."

"I'm shaking." Mai rolled her eyes. "I draw, and then summon Cyber Harpy (1800/1300) in attack mode. Then I lay one card facedown and end my turn." She raised one fine blonde eyebrow. "Only one turn left for your swords."

"I know. They've bought me the time I need though." Zev smiled, pleased with herself. "I play one monster facedown and then switch my Chthonian Soldier into defence mode. If you really think you can break through my defences, you're welcome to try, but it's not happening."

"I'll bet. I draw."

Mai drew and considered her hand. "Not much to work with here" she mused to herself. The contemplative tone in her voice couldn't mask a glint in her violet eyes, however, and Zev stiffened a little. "I hate to waste it on a single card but…oh, that's right. You have Attack Guidance Armour facedown! Well then, I play Harpy's Feather Duster!"

A great whirlwind, shot through with dust and feathers swept over Zev's field. She squinted into the angry weather patterns and grimaced. This was going to hurt…

The whirlwind struck with a bang and ripped to shreds Zev's facedown trap. All of a sudden, her two monsters were left defenceless. It was Mai's turn to smirk.

"Then I'll play Big Bang Shot on my harpy to make her 400 attack points stronger. And it also gives her the power to trample over your defence mode monster, and damage your lifepoints!"

Zev snarled. "Then come and get me!"

"I will! Cyber Harpy! Attack her Chthonian Soldier with Fairy Cannon Blast!"

The harpy screeched as it leapt up into the air, it swung the large cannon off her back into attack mode. The little fairies that fluttered about the weapon of mass destruction scattered in all directions as the cannon charged up its massive particle beam. When enough energy was gathered the harpy aimed its gun at Zev's Chthonian Soldier and opened fire with a bright orange beam. It sliced through the soldier's armour with ease and shredded the monster beneath.

Mai watched Zev's lifepoints drop to 300 with satisfaction, then ended her turn with some gloating. "Isn't it great how the tables can turn so easily? I can finish you on my next turn with my trampling Cyber Harpy and you can't kill her because my Mirror wall is a permanent trap."

"You could have finished me this turn!" Zev drew a card and gave it a quick once over. "But you attacked the wrong monster. Let me show you my facedown card."

Zev flipped her facedown monster up. It turned out to be a small, silvery ball with an opening covered by blue glass. The opening uncovered and began to draw air into itself.

The suction quickly increased in strength and soon no creature could resist it. Mai's Cyber Harpy was pulled in screeching with indignation, and her amazon followed it. The tiger growled once and tugged back defiantly but was quickly caught in the grasp of the wind. When all the creatures were locked inside the small metal sphere it resealed the opening and exploding, sending shards of metal across the arena.

Mai scowled, annoyed at her mistake. "A Cyber Jar (900/900)."

"Yep. You missed me!" Zev thumbed her nose mockingly at Mai and drew her five cards from Cyber Jar's effect.

The blonde smiled patronisingly. "There's always next turn." She drew her cards and the smile turned into a grin at the Mystical Space Typhoon and the collection of monsters that grinned up at her. "My mistake. You _are_ going down next turn, and nothing you do can change that! Since your Cyber Jar lets me summon monsters I just drew to the field, I'm going to summon two Harpy Ladies (1300/1400) in defence mode and another Cyber Harpy (1800/1300 in attack mode!"

Zev sighed at the appearance of the three shrieking bird women. "Why do they always come to me to die?" she asked rhetorically. "In that case I'll summon two Archfiend Soldiers (1900/1500), one Newdowria (1200/800), one Hell-bent Fanatic (1000/1600) and one Whiptail Crow (1650/1600) all in attack mode! My fiends outnumber your little birdies five to three!"

"It's not how many you have but how good they are. And what you do to protect them."

"And to protect my monsters from your two traps I activate my Hell-bent Fanatic's special power!"

Hell-bent Fanatic, a small humanoid fiend with mottled grey skin dressed only in a ragged and battered suit of platemail. Strapped to his body were kegs of dynamite that suddenly lit up. The flames quickly ate up the short fuses and the fiend let out a howl and rushed forward, its clawed feet pounding on the holographic floor. Mai's harpy flock scattered as the fiend ran past them. When it reached the magic/trap zone it stopped still and held its position for two seconds. Then it exploded in a blaze of glory.

Zev cackled a bit as smoke wreathed around her. "Hell-bent Fanatic is just that; a fanatic. He feels no fear, and he doesn't care about dying. I can use his ability to return two magic or trap cards to your hand, just by sacrificing him. He'd want his death to make a difference, so I think he'll be happy that he won me the game."

"You wish!"

A deafening roar shook the room. Girls jerked in surprise and Pegasus applauded from his seat as a huge red dragon poked its head through the smoke. It towered over the fiends below, glaring with hatred as smoke puffed from its nostrils. Mai's three harpies soared behind it, holding onto three chains attached to its neck. The chains seemed to make the dragon bolder and it lowered its head down to glare directly into Zev's Archfiend Soldier's face.

"When you sacrifice Hell-bent Fanatic, I play my trap Harpy's Call! When I have two or more harpies on the field I can special summon Harpy's Pet Dragon (2000/2500) from my hand or deck, and that dragon becomes the sole target of any attack you can make. And for every harpy on the field my dragon gets another 300 attack points, boosting its strength up to 2900 points." Mai glanced appreciatively at her huge monster before turning back to Zev sombrely. "It's much bigger than any monster in your deck."

Zev said nothing. She just glared at the dragon with an intense loathing. "If you can't beat me this turn then I win" Mai continued, sounding almost sad. "I've got a Stop Defence and a Mystical Space Typhoon in my hand and you're almost out of lifepoints." She flipped around her cards and showed them to Zev. "Unless you can overpower my supercharged dragon then he'll run you over like a turtle on the highway."

"Not this time Mai. Not ever again." Zev's grey eyes coldly glared at her opponent. "It's time that you started living in my shadow for a change. It's the least I can do for you. And your dragon can't save you now. I've got the king of fiends on my side. I summon Dark Ruler Ha Des (2450/1600)!"

A dark portal opened up onto the field, coloured a light-drinking black. Two dark red eyes peered out at the world beyond with an appraising look. Then a large form stepped from the darkness and out into the world beyond. The bejewelled headdress, the elegant robes, the haughty expression and the clawed hands poking out from the sleeves, its entire appearance spoke cruelty and malice. Ha Des eyed the dragon on the other side of the field disdainfully then stepped forward to oppose it. The lesser fiends about him made way for their lord and master, and Zev watched him with pride.

"He's incredible, isn't he?" she crooned. "He is the greatest of fiends and the champion of darkness. He's practically a god!"

"But he's still weaker than my Harpy's Pet Dragon."

"That's just because he's not in his kingdom. Yet." Zev smirked and played her final card. "I play the field card Fiend's Citadel!"

A stony rumble echoed through the room. Rising up from the holographic floor came a large stone building, set into the side of a mountain. The windows were narrow and dark, with no lights shining through. Gargoyles perched ominously on the battlements and a single tower rose up into the air. At the top, a black crystal was perched, and it shone a dark light over the entire field. The field darkened greatly. Players and spectators alike had to squint to see what was going on.

Tea blinked, trying to see. "What is she doing?" she asked herself.

"Crawford played her trump card." Tea jerked in surprise once again, then turned to glare at the imperturbable Julia. "Mai is finished."

"Why? What does that card do?"

Julia raised an eyebrow at Tea. "Why should I tell you? You'll be facing it next. Besides, you'll see some of its powers now."

Tea growled in annoyance and turned back to the game.

Mai squinted at Zev. "What did you just do?"

"I brought out Ha Des' home fortress. In here he's all powerful!" Zev laughed shortly before deigning to explain. "First of all, the dark magic of Ha Des' power crystal increases the power of all fiends on the field by 300 points!"

The fiends on Zev's field suddenly began to hiss and snarl and make hideous noises in general. Ha Des (2750/1600) merely smiled a cold smile and chuckled as an aura of dark energy wreathed him and his minions.

Mai's eyes narrowed. "What else does it do?"

"Oh, so many things! You'd be surprised what Ha Des' magic can do! But the effect that I'm going to use will finish you before you can see them." Zev grinned and slashed a finger across her throat. "And now I activate the power of Fiend's Citadel by sacrificing all my monsters except for Ha Des!"

"What!"

All of Zev's lesser fiends approached Ha Des and went down on their knees before him. The fiend king stretched out his hands and chanted a dark, eerie spell. As the arcane words floated from his mouth a grey mist was conjured from his hands. The mist came into contact with Whiptail Crow, causing the creature to shiver and shake. This happened with Zev's Newdoria and her two Archfiend Soldiers too. The mist suddenly recoiled back into Ha Des' open palms, and the other four fiends toppled over dead. The great fiend leader threw his head back and gasped loudly, as though being shot through with some massive bolt of power.

Ever the showman, Zev waited exactly 3 seconds after the mist disappeared before making her declaration. "You want to know what just happened? Ha Des just absorbed the souls and strength of all of his loyal servants, and increased his own strength by all of their attack points combined! Do the math, he has enough power to destroy you fifty times over!"

Gasps sounded all over the arena. But Mai just watched the vastly superior monster fix a murderous, red eyed gaze on her. She sighed. "Fine. You've got me. Just get it over with."

Zev's victorious smirk was replaced with a hate-filled glare. "Is that really all you can say?"

"And what do you want me to say? Sorry? Would that really change things? Neither of us are the same person anymore." Mai shook her head. "If beating me this way makes you feel any better then go ahead and do it."

"Trust me. It will." The smirk returned. "Lose now, with the whole world watching! Ha Des (10400/1600), attack her with Dark Soul Combination attack!"

Ha Des snarled at Mai and jumped back several feet. He raised his hands above his head, and a ball of ice-blue light formed above his palms. The ball of energy quickly grew in size, and a high pitched humming soon filled the massive room. The energy ball kept growing and growing, until its size was massive. Ha Des was clearly having trouble holding it in place. His breaths came in grunts and it was clear to all that beheld him that his great strength was about to give out, but still he held the energy ball. Then, when the humming sound had reached a fever pitch and the energy ball was trembling, Ha Des let loose a howl and hurled all the power he possessed at Mai's dragon.

The dragon managed one curtailed scream before being consumed in the massive explosion. The room itself shook, and Mai was thrown backward with a scream. She fell from the booth and landed hard on the floor behind her. Stunned, she tried to get up but winced in pain. She'd landed on her ankle hard, and it wouldn't support any weight. She could barely lift her back up on her arms while Zev looked on in triumph.

Croquet coughed quietly and raised a hand. "The winner of this round is Miss Zev Crawford.

Julia glanced over at Tea. "I told you so" she said before turning and walking away.

_IIIIIII_

"So, are you feeling alright?"

Mai glanced down at her foot. Pegasus' resident medic had bound the ankle up tightly with ice to control the swelling. Luckily it was nothing worse than a sprain. "It'll be alright" Mai said. "I've had worse."

The two were hanging out in the big hallway that connected the duelling arena with the guest rooms. Most of the girls were spending their lunch break in the dining room, but the two friends had stopped by only to grab a couple of drinks. The dining room was too crowded, anyway. Pegasus was graciously allowing the defeated finalists to stay on and watch the rest of the tournament.

Tea sipped her orange crush pop before continuing their talk. "So, how do my chances look next round?"

Mai smiled. "What? No sappy talk about how bad it was that I lost?"

"It's only a game."

"Yeah, you're right. Well, I checked the duel listings for the semi-finals. The first match is between you and Zev."

Tea smirked. "Good. I've been wanting a shot at her."

"Watch yourself" Mai warned. "You know she's good."

"Well, if I've learned anything about myself this tournament it's that I'm a pretty good duellist myself." Tea took another sip of her pop before continuing. "I'm not going to back down now."

Mai smiled. "I wouldn't want you to." She reached down and rubbed her sore ankle a little. It still hurt, but she'd get over it.

Tea watched her friend for a moment. "She really took that duel personally, huh?"

Mai winced. "I gave her a pretty good reason to." Tea waited, and Mai kept talking. "I knew her before I ever met you and Joey and the rest. We were…pretty close friends." She winced again, as though the memory hurt.

Before she could continue though, a ringing came from her purse. Frowning slightly, Mai opened it up, took out her cell phone and answered it. "Hello? …Oh, hi Eddy. What's up? …What! You're kidding! …They can't do that! …I've been on the list for months! They can't just pull me off! …What! God!" Mai snapped her phone shut angrily and shoved it hard back into her purse.

"Bad news I take it?"

Mai and Tea turned at the sudden voice. Zev was standing about twenty feet away, sipping at a root beer and smiling pleasantly. Mai glared daggers at her.

"You vindictive little bitch!"

"Flattery won't get you anywhere."

Mai growled and stormed past her, back into the dining room. Zev sighed. "Ah well. I was hoping for a longer time to gloat. Easy come, easy go I guess."

Tea scowled, and without thinking she threw her half full can of orange pop at Zev. It bounced off of her shoulder, drenching the front of her shirt and drawing out a shout of surprise. "What the hell is your problem!" Tea yelled.

"My problem! I'm not the one throwing things!"

"No, you're the one who seems to love making my friends miserable! What did you do now?"

"Nothing!" Zev grinned and stretched idly. "But I bet that call was from her agent. One of her invitations to a tournament must have been cancelled. Mai loves duelling, money, and spending it, so she has to be the best. Losing on live TV like that hurt her reputation pretty badly, so tournaments that signed her on to attract participants will start dumping her. She'll have to work pretty damn hard if she wants to keep the cash flowing. I'd like to see her keep up the material girl act now!"

"So you want to see her ruined! Is that it! Jeez!"

Zev sighed the sigh of one who is wrongfully mistreated. "Look Tea, my grudge with Mai is personal. It has nothing to do with you. Just keep out of it."

Tea shook her head. "Mai is my friend. I don't know if friendship means anything to you but I care about my friends. I'm there for them when they need me, and I support them when they're down. Having a friend is having someone you want to protect. Your problem is that you're such a bitch that you won't let anyone be your friend! Maybe you should. You'd understand how I feel and you might just like it."

Zev looked decidedly unimpressed. "And what makes you think I haven't got any friends? I do, and I'm still a bitch. Not everyone is a good little girl like you. Some of us have been through rough times. Akumu was right. You've never been betrayed by someone close to you like some of us have." She smiled ironically. "That's all it takes, you know. One bad moment can change a person forever."

A sudden thought occurred to Tea. "So Mai was part of your bad moment?" she asked cautiously.

The look on Zev's face suddenly twitched. Her fist closed over her root beer can. Her grey eyes seethed hatefully as she gritted her teeth hard. But there was that look in her eyes, that Tea had seen back when Zev defeated Yami. That sad look convinced Tea that she was right. "Do you really want to know?" Zev finally asked, "Or are you just being morbid?"

Tea shook her head. "I'm being serious" she answered, stamping down on her great personal dislike for Zev. "Mai is my friend. If she's being punished for something then I want to know what."

The grey haired girl eyed Tea intensely for a long moment. "Then I hope you like stupidly clichéd sad stories" she said at last. "This is one of them."

_IIIIIII_

Magicman: And done. I'm not sure how well the beginning was, but I'm pretty comfortable with the end.

Tea: So you're finally going to tell the story?

Magicman: Yep.

Tea: Finally!

Pegasus: I concur. This hold up is getting annoying.

Magicman: Well, you'll still have to wait a while, whilst I type it up. Until then, enjoy life and have fun.


End file.
